Farmers in Gaza brave Israeli bullets to bring their lands back to life | Israel-Palestine conflict

The Gaza Strip – As soon as the “cease” in Gaza began in October, Palestinian farmer Mohammed al-Slakhy and his family went straight to their farms in the Zeitoun area of ​​Gaza City.

After more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war on Lust – and despite constant Israeli attacks – it was finally safe enough to return, and try to rebuild and restore.

Mohammed and his family spent months clearing debris from the ground and whatever remained of their greenhouses, which were razed during the fighting, like many of the buildings in Gaza.

With very limited resources, they prepared the soil and planted the first crop of zucchini, hoping that it would be ready to harvest by early spring.

But even this limited effort to revive the family’s land is not without risk. As Mohammed explains, he risks his life every time he goes to tend his field. A few hundred meters away sit Israeli tanks, and the sound of bullets flying by is common.

Before the war, Mohammed’s farm produced large quantities of vegetables.

“I learned to farm from my father and grandfather,” he told Al Jazeera. “Our farm used to produce abundant crops of high quality for the local market and for export to the (occupied) West Bank and overseas. Now everything we had was destroyed in the war.”

Leveled on the ground

More than three hectares (7.5 acres) of Muhammad’s greenhouses were razed to the ground. The destruction also included its entire irrigation network, all nine of its wells, two solar power systems and two desalination plants.

Mohammed’s losses reflect the greater extent of the damage to the agricultural sector in Gaza. According to a July 2025 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 80 percent of cropland was damaged, and less than 5 percent remained available for cultivation.

And even with the “ceasefire”, the losses did not stop for Gaza’s farmers, as Israel expands a so-called buffer zone, within which its forces are based.

In fact, many Palestinians fear that Gaza’s agricultural land will be forcibly taken by Israel if the buffer zone becomes a permanent component. Blueprints released as part of US President Donald Trump’s “Council of Peace” plan for Gaza shows many agricultural areas wiped out.

Expansion of buffer zones

Israel still controls about 58 percent of the Gaza Strip, which it calls a security buffer zone in the east, north and south of the Gaza Strip. The majority of that buffer zone is Palestinian agricultural land.

Mohammed has only been able to return to one hectare (2.5 hectares) of the more than 22 hectares (54 acres) of farmland his family farmed in Gaza City before the war. The other 21 hectares lie within the Israeli buffer zone, and he cannot access it.

The lonely hectare is only about 200 meters (650 feet) from the “yellow line”, which marks the border between the buffer zone and the rest of Gaza. Mohammed says that Israeli tanks regularly approach and fire randomly.

One such incident occurred on February 12 when Israeli tanks advanced on Salah al-Din Street and opened fire. Two Palestinians were killed, and at least four others were reportedly wounded. Mohammed was in his farmland, near the Israeli tanks.

“We were working in the field when a tank suddenly approached and opened fire at us. I had to take cover behind a destroyed building and waited there for over an hour and a half before I could escape west,” Mohammed said.

The dangers to Mohammed’s farm are mirrored in central Gaza, where 75-year-old Eid al-Taaban is increasingly concerned.

His land in Deir el-Balah lies only about 300 meters (980 feet) from the yellow line and the Israeli areas of control.

“We planted eggplants in an open field after the ceasefire. Now we cannot reach it and harvest the crop because of the expansion of the buffer zone,” Eid told Al Jazeera.

“The sounds of Israeli heavy machine guns are heard in our area every day. Every time my sons go to irrigate the crops in the greenhouses, I just pray that they come back alive,” he added.

On February 6, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the Israeli army killed Palestinian farmer Khaled Baraka while he was working on his land in eastern Deir el-Balah. Khaled was Eid’s neighbor and friend.

“Khaled Baraka was a great farmer,” Eid said. “He dedicated his life to cultivating his land and teaching his sons and daughters about farming.”

Israeli blockade

According to Palestinian farmers, the Israeli blockade of Gaza is one of the biggest challenges they face in their efforts to reclaim agricultural land.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has largely prevented the entry of any agricultural equipment or supplies, such as seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, irrigation networks or tractors.

This has led to a major shortage, with what is available still liable to damage during bombing, or in the case of seeds, pesticides and fertilisers, reaching its expiry date. The prices of the few available have also skyrocketed due to the Israeli restrictions.

And even when the material can be obtained, they do not guarantee a return.

Eid said he planted tomatoes in his greenhouses to harvest in the spring and paid an exorbitant amount to obtain the seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.

After 90 days of expensive care of the plants, and when it was time to start harvesting, the entire crop was ruined because the pesticides and fertilizers he bought proved ineffective. He was forced to replant the crop.

Market problems

Eid noted that the current economic conditions in Gaza mean that it is difficult to find customers for the products.

“Even when we manage to keep the plants alive and harvest the crop, we don’t know if we will be able to sell it,” said Eid.

The instability of the market in Gaza causes huge losses for local farmers.

Waleed Miqdad, a wholesaler of agricultural products, explained that Israeli authorities sometimes close the crossings and other times flood the market with various goods, causing significant losses to Palestinian farmers.

He added that Israeli goods are usually of lower quality and priced more cheaply.

“Our local products, although much less in quantity than before the war, still have a distinctive quality and taste. Many of our customers prefer local products,” Waleed told Al Jazeera.

But many residents of Gaza, whose economy has been devastated by the war, do not have the money to be able to choose the more expensive items.

The competition from Israeli products therefore makes it difficult for Palestinian farmers to market their products and make a profit.

“Recently I was forced to sell large quantities of my produce for less than the cost of production due to competition from imported goods widely available in the market,” said Mohammed, the farmer from northern Gaza. “I had to sell and lose or watch my products rot. And of course we received no compensation or support.”

Despite the challenges facing the farmers in Gaza, they remain determined to reclaim agricultural fields across the Gaza Strip. These areas have always been worshiped by Palestinians in Gaza, where most lived in the built-up cities. The farms offered a respite from Israel’s control of the area and its constant wars.

“Agriculture is our life and our livelihood,” Mohammed said. “This is an important part of our Palestinian identity. Despite the destruction and danger, we will stand firm on our land and replant all the land we can reach. Our children will continue after us.”

For Eid, farming is a continuation of the work of his ancestors – in villages that are now in Israel, and where he can never set foot.

“I’m 75 years old, and I still work in the field every day,” Eid said. “My grandfather was a farmer in our hometown of Beersheba before the (1948) Nakba.”

“He taught my father, my father taught me, and today I am passing on my agricultural expertise to my grandchildren,” Eid added. “The love for the land and agriculture is passed down from generation to generation in our family, and it can never be taken away from us.”