MORE than 75% of olive trees in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, were destroyed by ongoing Israeli military operations. This has had a devastating impact on agriculture in the besieged enclave, according to the latest report from the Palestinian Authority.
Gaza farmers were only able to access their fields during a temporary ceasefire last November that lasted for one week.
Israel also revoked all permits for farmers in the occupied West Bank and banned them from harvesting olives. A 59-year-old Palestinian woman was shot dead by Israeli forces while harvesting olives with her family in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank.
There have been 32 attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians involved in the olive harvest in October alone. Hundreds of trees were damaged or stolen, according to the UN humanitarian office.
About 23,700 hectares of land planted with olives in the West Bank have been designated a closed military zone by Israeli authorities.
The olive harvest is an important economic resource for tens of thousands of Palestinian families. Its destruction has dire consequences for their livelihoods. The olive tree is also a symbol of Palestinians’ devotion to their land, which has been cultivated for thousands of years. (TRT World/Was)
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