A Palestinian Agriculture Ministry official says the recent Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip has had grave impacts on the farming sector in the besieged coastal sliver.
Nabil Abu Shamala, the head of policies and planning at the ministry, said on Saturday that Gaza’s agriculture sector has suffered nearly $550 million in losses as a result of the recent 50-day Israeli military campaign.
“This figure includes $350 million of direct losses and $200 million of indirect ones,” he said.
Abu Shamala further noted that Israeli assaults have destroyed huge swathes of farm land, causing acute shortages of locally-produced crops. He warned that the sharp rise in the prices of agricultural products threatens food security in the Gaza Strip.
Israel started pounding the Gaza Strip in early July, inflicting heavy losses on the Palestinian land. Almost 2,140 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including women, children and elderly people, were killed in the Israeli onslaught. Around 11,000 others were injured.
Tel Aviv says 72 Israelis were killed in the conflict, but the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says the number is much higher.
The latest Israeli war ended on August 26 with an Egyptian-brokered truce, which took effect after negotiations in Cairo.
The deal stipulates the ease of Israel’s seven-year-old blockade as well as the provision of a guarantee that Palestinian demands will be met.
Palestinian experts say it costs more than $7.5 billion to rebuild the besieged Gaza Strip
