Israel razes agricultural land across Gaza, Lebanon

Israel's bombardment of Gaza in the six months since 7 October has not only flattened entire neighborhoods, destroyed critical infrastructure, and killed over 33,000 people, but has decimated Gaza's crucial agricultural land as well, Axios reported on 8 April. 

According to a satellite analysis conducted by He Yin of Kent State University, Israeli bombing has destroyed roughly 50 percent of tree crops and 42 percent of greenhouses within Gaza.

Yin told Axios the level of destruction "is much higher than other war-affected places I have studied, such as Chechnya and Syria."

The destruction of Gaza's agricultural land is one of the many ways Israel is making the besieged enclave uninhabitable, particularly as famine begins to set in.

Israel's bombing and invasion of Gaza have also destroyed many of the olive groves in northern Gaza and prevented farmers from harvesting those that remain, Naser Qadous, senior program director for agriculture and livelihood at the aid organization Anera, told Axios.

Israel has also destroyed Gaza's greenhouses, Qadous said. But it is "not only the destruction of the greenhouse itself but also the value chain. There are some greenhouses that are still existing [but] farmers are not able to access these greenhouses and take care of their plants. It is very risky."

An investigation by a digital forensics team at the University of London found Israel had "systematically targeted" agricultural land and infrastructure during the siege.

In addition to agricultural land and residential neighborhoods, Israeli strikes have destroyed schools, bakeries, mosques, churches, hospitals, and cultural heritage sites in Gaza.

Israeli officials have sought to excuse the indiscriminate destruction by claiming that Hamas members operate militarily from all these types of sites. 

An analysis of satellite data conducted by Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University and Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center showed that since 7 October, Israeli military operations damaged or destroyed more than 50 percent of buildings in Gaza, including more than 70 percent in the northern regions.

Israel has also targeted Lebanese agricultural land in its war with Hezbollah since 7 October. 

As The Cradle reported, hundreds of acres of southern Lebanon's lush agricultural areas have been damaged by Israeli incendiary bombing.

According to Save the Children, "An increase in cross-border shelling and rocket fire since 7 October has triggered blazes in a key agricultural area of Lebanon that have run wild through olive groves and nearby farming communities."

In February, the charity noted that tens of thousands of families in southern Lebanon have lost their livelihood, with Israeli military fire destroying over 47,000 olive trees – as well as other crops during their harvest. 

https://thecradle.co/articles/israel-razes-agricultural-land-across-gaza-lebanon