Gaza City, Gaza – Looking at old photos on his mobile phone, farmer Abu Fares recalled how the Sheikh Ijlin neighbourhood of Gaza City was once renowned for its grapevines, fig trees and seasonal crops.The reality today, though, is very different. Extensive Israeli bulldozing in the neighbourhood and across much of Gaza since October 2023 has turned the once-thriving region into a barren wasteland, stripping it of the agricultural elements that supported thousands of families.That devastated landscape is a double humanitarian tragedy for Gaza’s displaced farmers: During Israel’s genocidal war, they have lost both their homes and their sole source of income as Israeli forces systematically destroy the territory’s farmlands. With a suffocating Israeli siege that prevents the entry of basic farming supplies, the destruction has become a primary driver of the starvation threatening more than two million Palestinians.Yet now, driven by soaring food prices and desperation, many displaced Palestinians are transforming small patches of dirt around the tents they are living in into miniature gardens. One displaced farmer described how she relies on this method to grow tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and molokhia greens to feed her family, which includes orphaned children.An erased landscapeDespite severe shortages of water, seeds and fertilisers, farmers like Abu Mohammed continue to work the soil, viewing agriculture not just as an income source but also as a form of resistance and a way to hold on to their land. Advertisement According to the Min …
