Workers on a date farm in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, last September (French)
Oxfam Relief and Development said that the Israeli occupation destroyed seasonal agricultural production in the northern Gaza Strip in its “golden time,” amid growing fears of the worsening hunger crisis in the Strip.
The organization said that the Israeli bombing and closure of northern Gaza led to the destruction of the richest agricultural lands in the Strip, which is one of the largest sources of fruits and vegetables.
As Israel tightens its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, the destruction of local agricultural production is expected to exacerbate the malnutrition and hunger crisis for the approximately 300,000 Palestinians still in northern Gaza.
Oxfam's Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Sally Abi Khalil, said, "The risk of genocide is increasing in northern Gaza because the government of Israel is ignoring one of the key rulings of the International Court of Justice, to provide basic services and much-needed humanitarian assistance."
The Palestinian Agricultural Development Association, one of the largest local organizations focusing on agricultural support, estimated that in the first days of the bombing and incursion, Israel destroyed about 70% of the agricultural lands and fishing fleets in Gaza.
A sheikh from Gaza harvests olives on October 5 (Anatolia)
Two options, the best of which are bitter
In turn, the organization's operations director - which is a partner of Oxfam - Hani Al-Ramlawi, said that "the next two months were supposed to be the golden time for production."
Even if the agricultural lands were not already destroyed, it would be impossible to access them, because any farmer who tried to do so would be directly targeted by Israeli forces, according to the organization.
As talk began about a catastrophic famine affecting the Strip, and deaths due to hunger, Oxfam partners said that Palestinians are drinking toilet water, eating wild plants, and using animal feed to make bread.
Al-Ramlawi said that the value of the agricultural sector exceeds $575 million annually, and “the loss of crops necessary to earn a livelihood and income will lead to the complete collapse of agriculture in Gaza for many years to come.”
It is noteworthy that Oxfam is an international federation that includes 15 independent organizations working in the field of combating poverty and social disparities across the world, and helping the poorest groups to emerge from the narrowness of marginalization and destitution to the vastness of prosperity and influence in political and economic decisions.
Source: Al Jazeera