Palestine accuses Israel of destroying 90% of Gaza’s agricultural assets in 2 years
Palestinian agriculture minister said Israel’s actions devastated Gaza’s farming infrastructure, harmed thousands of farmers in occupied West Bank
Palestinian farmers continue to cultivate their land as Israeli attacks continue on the 43rd day in Deir al-Balah, Gaza in November, 2023.
RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL
Palestine accused Israel on Tuesday of destroying more than 90% of Gaza’s agricultural assets over the past two years and harming over 5,353 farmers in the occupied West Bank since the start of this year.
The agricultural sector in Palestine is facing “major transformations and unprecedented challenges” as a result of Israel’s “systematic violations targeting land, water, people, and identity,” Agriculture Minister Rezq Salimia said in a press conference held at the ministry’s headquarters in Ramallah.
“The (Israeli) genocidal war in the Gaza Strip caused massive destruction, exceeding 90% of agricultural resources and assets, including irrigation wells, greenhouses, and farming facilities,” he added.
In the West Bank, Salimia said Israel controls more than 60% of its territory, blocking development, reclamation, and rehabilitation projects, and preventing the expansion of agricultural land use.
“If access to those areas under Israeli control were possible, they would have generated more than $3 billion in economic value and provided at least 200,000 job opportunities,” he added.
“This means we could have dispensed with all foreign aid if we were allowed to invest in those lands,” the minister said.
Since the beginning of 2025 through mid-October, “more than 5,353 farmers were affected by Israeli violations, marking a 17% increase compared with last year,” Salimia said.
He noted that total losses “exceeded $70.3 million, including the burning and uprooting of trees, destruction of agricultural infrastructure, killing and theft of livestock, confiscation of tens of thousands of dunams of land, and preventing farmers from accessing them while allowing systematic settler grazing.”
Since October 2024, the ministry has documented the destruction of more than 15,000 olive trees, according to Salimia.
Israel has killed over 68,200 people and injured more than 170,300 in Gaza since October 2023, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
The occupied West Bank also witnessed a sharp rise in attacks over the same period, with at least 1,056 Palestinians killed, around 10,300 injured, and more than 20,000, including 1,600 children, detained, according to official Palestinian figures.
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