‘Almost Wiped Out’: Israeli Restrictions Cripple Gaza’s Farmlands

 

 

Gaza’s once-vibrant agricultural heartland has been reduced to rubble and dust, with farmers warning the sector has been “almost wiped out” under Israel’s ongoing siege and restrictions. Nearly all farming activity has ceased, and not even seeds are allowed into the territory, according to aid groups and UN data.

 

Before the war, farmers like Naim Abu Amra in Deir al-Balah grew tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers across 11 dunams of land. Today, his greenhouses are gone, irrigation wells filled with debris, and soil poisoned by bomb fragments. “The war didn’t just take our crops,” he said. “It took our future.”

 

A joint FAO–UNOSAT report in July found that 95% of Gaza’s farmland is now inaccessible, with 80% of cropland damaged, 71% of greenhouses destroyed, and 83% of wells impacted. The UN warned this represents the “collapse of Gaza’s agrifood system and lifelines.”

 

Before October 2023, agriculture made up 11% of Gaza’s GDP and sustained over half a million people. That figure has now plunged below 2%. Bahaa Zaqout of the Palestinian Agricultural Development Association (PARC) said the devastation was “deliberate and carefully planned,” accusing Israel of eradicating the sector by banning machinery, fertilizers, and seeds under “dual-use” security rules.

 

The World Bank estimates rebuilding will cost $8.4 billion and take up to a decade, complicated by 61 million tonnes of toxic debris and unexploded ordnance blanketing Gaza’s fields. Israel continues to block the heavy equipment needed for clearance.

 

Aid organizations say even the basics are forbidden. “Not even a tomato seed was let through,” said Mariam Al-Jaajaa of the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN), noting that Israeli authorities required NGOs to remove pits from dates before entry. “Seeds are weaponised because they’re a source of life.”

 

APN has tried to revive farming by sourcing local seeds and supporting 700 farmers, but costs have quintupled under the siege. “Before the war, it cost $5,000 to cultivate land. Now it’s $25,000,” Jaajaa said.

 

She warned that without lifting restrictions, Gaza’s agricultural recovery is impossible: “You can’t have a sustainable resolution without justice.”

Key Takeaways

• 95% of Gaza’s farmland is now inaccessible; 80% of cropland has been destroyed.

• Israel has blocked entry of seeds, fertilizers, and heavy machinery since October 2023.

• Rebuilding Gaza’s food system could cost $8.4 billion and take 7–10 years under current conditions.

 

Source: Middle East Eye

 

 

And this is not genocide?