Gaza olive harvest battered by war as production plunges, farmland becomes inaccessible

Palestinian farmers in Gaza are facing a difficult olive harvest this year as production declines, large areas of agricultural land remain damaged and many groves are inaccessible because they lie in areas controlled by the Israeli army or beyond the so-called “yellow line,” Anadolu reports. On accessible farmland, farmers continue picking olives and separating them from leaves and branches despite shortages of fertilizer, irrigation water and agricultural supplies, as well as higher labor, transportation and pressing costs. The pressures have left many families unable to store their usual annual supplies of olive oil and olives. On July 13, Gaza’s Agriculture Ministry estimated losses to the agricultural sector from Israel’s genocidal war, which began on Oct. 8, 2023, at more than […]