SAFA – More than 30,000 dunams of farmland in the Gaza Strip now lie within areas controlled by the Israeli occupation forces under the so-called "Yellow Line," preventing thousands of farmers from accessing their land and pushing Gaza's agricultural sector toward collapse, a Palestinian agriculture official has warned.

Loay Rajab, acting director of public relations and media at Gaza's Ministry of Agriculture, said Israeli restrictions have cut off access to vast agricultural areas, particularly in the eastern parts of the Strip, removing large tracts of land from production and disrupting the livelihoods of thousands of farming families.

He said farmers in eastern Deir Al-Balah, Al-Tuffah, and other eastern districts face life-threatening risks if they attempt to reach their fields, where Israeli occupation forces continue to maintain control over extensive agricultural areas.

Rajab said the expansion of the "Yellow Line" has sharply reduced agricultural production by denying farmers access to land that once supplied local markets and supported thousands of households.

Even in areas that remain accessible, restarting cultivation has become increasingly difficult. Farmers are struggling with damaged infrastructure, soaring production costs, and severe shortages of agricultural supplies, making it financially impossible for many to return to farming.

He warned that Gaza's agricultural sector is nearing a complete shutdown and urged the international community and humanitarian organizations to provide urgent assistance. The destruction of both crop and livestock production has left many residents dependent on imported food.

Food Production Severely Reduced

Gaza contains approximately 180,000 dunams of agricultural land, nearly half of the territory's total area, most of it located in the northern, southern, and eastern regions. Large portions of these areas are now either under Israeli military control or inaccessible because of movement restrictions.

Rajab said less than 5% of Gaza's agricultural land is currently under cultivation. He noted that Al-Mawasi, once one of the Strip's most productive farming areas, has been transformed into a vast displacement zone sheltering more than one million Palestinians, further reducing agricultural output.

Before the Israeli war, Gaza was largely self-sufficient in vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, onions, and leafy greens. Local farmers also supplied markets in the occupied West Bank and exported nearly 300 tons of vegetables every day, generating roughly one million shekels in daily revenue.

Today, the destruction of farmland and agricultural facilities has drastically reduced local production, forcing residents to rely on costly imported vegetables.

Billions in Agricultural Losses

Rajab said Gaza's agricultural sector employed around 55,000 workers before the war. Most have since been displaced into tents after their farmland was destroyed, damaged, or placed under Israeli military control.

A Ministry of Agriculture assessment covering the period between 2023 and 2025 found that more than 85% of Gaza's agricultural sector had been damaged.

The ministry estimated total losses at $3.49 billion, including $1.90 billion in direct damage and $1.59 billion in indirect losses.

Crop production sustained particularly severe damage, with 158,909 dunams of farmland affected out of a total 182,247 dunams, representing 87.1% of cultivated land. Irrigation infrastructure also suffered extensive destruction, leaving around 8,700 agricultural wells out of service, damaging 3,828 water reservoirs, and destroying 1,371 kilometers of water distribution networks.

The livestock sector experienced losses estimated at 90.3%, affecting more than 5,450 livestock farms and 2,300 poultry farms. Nearly 69,000 livestock animals and 2.79 million birds were lost, while thousands of beehives were also destroyed.

The ministry said the widespread destruction has nearly paralyzed agricultural production, severely undermined food security across Gaza, and deprived thousands of families of their primary source of income.

 It called on the international community, United Nations agencies, and donor organizations to urgently support the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector and help farmers, fishermen, and livestock breeders resume production.