The bombing has destroyed agricultural land and poisoned the soil, while Israel’s sweeping blockade has made water scarce for farmers who once provided a third of Gaza’s food needs.

Israel has proven that its stated aim of destroying Gaza in every way is coming true – Mark

GAZA—On an afternoon in early February, Sami Abu Amr, a 61-year-old farmer, walked through his roughly three-acre stretch of land that lies east of the Gaza City neighborhood of Shuja’iyya where he once tended olive trees and grew seasonal vegetables, including cucumbers, tomatoes, and potatoes. Before the war, the sale of his produce to local residents provided the sole source of income for his family of 13, including his sons and grandchildren. But these agricultural lands are now a scene of devastation: A barren landscape of uprooted trees, bulldozer tracks and soil riddled with craters left by Israeli airstrikes.

Along with the ruin of his farmland, the Israeli military had also destroyed Abu Amr’s agricultural equipment, greenhouse, irrigation network, and poultry farm, amounting to losses he estimates at $70,000. “This land is not just a source of livelihood,” Abu Amr said. “It is my life, my history. I have nurtured it with my sweat for years.”

Before Israel’s assault began in 2023, agricultural land covered approximately 47% of the Gaza Strip and produced enough food to serve up to a third of local demand, offering a critical source of food for Palestinians living under siege for nearly two decades.

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