Gaza farmers coax vegetables from war-torn fields amid blockade

Three years after the conflict began, Ahmed Tanbura returns to his family’s field in Beit Lahia, where eggplant bushes now reach his chest amid surrounding ruins. He and neighboring farmers spent weeks removing rubble without machinery, pooling their limited tools and even selling personal vehicles to buy seeds. The Israeli army controls the majority of Gaza’s farmland, leaving only about 450 hectares free of immediate danger, according to the FAO.

Organizations like Thamara and the UN’s food agency provide seed, fertilizer and modest financial support to roughly 600 cultivated hectares, while NGOs such as Gupap preserve local seed varieties. Persistent gunfire, unexploded ordnance and contaminated water further hinder production, and diesel shortages force pumps to run only intermittently. Despite these obstacles, Tanbura hopes his modest harvest will sustain his family and eventually allow a return to more diverse crops, such as roses that once traveled across Gaza for market.