Two displaced Gaza farmers have turned to small rented plots in central Gaza to maintain their livelihoods after losing access to their original farmland during the war, as figures from Gaza's Government Media Office show that more than 87 percent of the territory's agricultural land has been destroyed.
Gaza farmers turn to small rented plots as data show 87 percent of agricultural land destroyed
Two displaced Gaza farmers have turned to small rented plots in central Gaza to maintain their livelihoods after losing access to their original farmland during the war, as figures from Gaza's Government Media Office show that more than 87 percent of the territory's agricultural land has been destroyed.
Mohammad al-Halabi, 50, formerly farmed around 40,000 square metres — approximately 10 acres — in Jabalia in northern Gaza, where he grew strawberries, tomatoes, flowers, potatoes and eggplants alongside his four children and his father. He says Israeli forces bulldozed his entire farmland in February 2024 as part of broader operations in Jabalia, leaving it covered with rubble and what he described as remnants of missiles and other weapons.
Al-Halabi now tends a 300-square-metre plot in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, which he began renting after being displaced at the start of the war. The plot produces only a few kilogrammes of each crop — barely enough for his family — and is too small to generate produce for sale. He believes his Jabalia land will require extensive rehabilitation before it can be farmed again.
Gaza's Government Media Office data show about 8,700 agricultural wells have been destroyed and put out of service, 7,748 cattle, sheep and poultry farms have been destroyed, and more than 87 percent of greenhouses have been damaged. Annual vegetable and fruit production has fallen from about 524,000 tonnes to approximately 20,000 tonnes.
Naser Deeb, director-general of Agricultural Extension at Gaza's Ministry of Agriculture, said the damage extends beyond crops to farmland, water sources, irrigation networks, wells and agricultural facilities. He said damaged farmland would need extensive rehabilitation before production could resume, adding that farmers face simultaneous problems including soil rehabilitation, repair of water and irrigation systems, and provision of seeds, fertilisers and equipment.
Mohammad Abdul Naser Hassan al-Jadba, 40, from Sheikh Ajleen in Gaza City, lost access to his farmland after it fell behind what he described as the 'Yellow Line' — the boundary in Gaza behind which Israeli forces operate and control. Israeli soldiers have killed Palestinians who have strayed too close to the line, making it too dangerous for al-Jadba to attempt to reach his land. He instead rented a small plot in Deir el-Balah, where he established a nursery and greenhouse to grow tomatoes, eggplants and peppers using funding from a Belgian development fund. He said his monthly income has reached around 3,000 shekels, equivalent to $1,015, and he has permanently employed two previously unemployed farmers.
- The source does not state the methodology or date of the Government Media Office's agricultural damage figures.
- The source does not identify the Belgian development fund that provided financing to al-Jadba, nor the amount of funding received.
- The source does not state when al-Jadba established his Deir el-Balah greenhouse or how long it has been operating.
- The source does not include any response or statement from Israeli authorities regarding the destruction of agricultural land or the 'Yellow Line' boundary.
- The source does not state what rehabilitation timeline or cost Deeb or the Ministry of Agriculture estimates for restoring damaged farmland.
- The source does not state the current status of al-Halabi's father, Marwan, or whether his father is also displaced.
Read the original at Al Jazeera English