How Israel destroyed Gaza’s ability to feed itself
Palestinian farmer Youssef Abu Rabieh launched his agricultural initiative despite ongoing Israeli attacks in Beit Lahiya, on 28 April 2024
Mohammed Hussein and Mohammed Haddad report in Al Jazeera on 2 July 2024:
At the start of summer, Gaza’s fields are usually bursting with ripening crops and fruits of all colours, scents and sizes. But, nearly nine months into Israel’s war on Gaza, abundant harvests have given way to devastation and a dire humanitarian crisis. A UN report says 96 percent of Gaza’s population is food insecure and one in five Palestinians, or about 495,000 people, is facing starvation.
Satellite images analysed by Al Jazeera’s digital investigation team, Sanad show that more than half (60 percent) of Gaza’s farmland, crucial for feeding the war-ravaged territory’s hungry population, has been damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks. Israel has killed at least 37,900 people and injured 87,000 others in bombings, by destroying healthcare that could have saved them, and by starvation.
Farmers pick citrus fruits in Khan Younis on 7 November 2022
North to south, nowhere and nobody has been spared.
North Gaza
In Beit Lahiya, once known for plump, juicy strawberries that locals fondly called “red gold”, Israeli bulldozers and heavy machinery have systematically razed fields, reducing them to dirt.
Before the war, Gaza’s strawberry industry employed thousands of people. Seeding and planting began in September, with harvesting from December through March. Before and after satellite images show vehicle tracks over the once-fertile regions of Beit Lahiya.
Defying Israel’s ongoing attacks, farmers like Youssef Abu Rabieh figured out ways to grow food between bombed-out buildings – makeshift gardens of repurposed containers.