Middle East Monitor / January 16, 2020
After the dams which were built in areas controlled by Israel to block rainwater streaming through valleys crossing the Gaza Strip had been opened twice, Gazan farmers claim that all of their crops were completely destroyed.
Speaking to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Palestinian farmer, Mahmoud Shamali, explained: “The opening of the water dams destroyed all of our crops, our infrastructure and irrigation network.”
Thousands of dunams of agricultural land in the east of Al-Sheja’ea, an eastern neighbourhood of Gaza City, were left damaged.
Shamali confirmed that his farm is around 33 dunams large and was completely covered with the rainwater released by Israel.
“All my efforts vanished in one minute,” Shamali stated, revealing that all of his crops, including beans, potatoes, chard, turnip, watercress, cabbage, peas and onions, were destroyed.
The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza announced that over 950 dunams of agricultural land in the east of Gaza City were completely eradicated and that the direct losses inflicted on the farmers exceeded $500,000, but the indirect losses exceeded $2 million.
