In northern Rafah lies the remnants of a once-thriving farmland, now reduced to rubble after being razed by Israeli forces.
Palestinian farmer Yaqoub Abu Daabs, 55, surveys the devastation of his farm, unable to approach the land to assess the full extent of the damage or retrieve any agricultural tools and supplies partially buried beneath the destruction.
After losing his son Muath, 27, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike three months ago while trying to reach the farmland, Abu Daabs now refuses to risk venturing near the area again.
Without access to irrigation, his crop yields were cut in half. As harvest approached, Israeli airstrikes made it too dangerous for him to reach his land.
“I used to be financially well-off before the war, but now I’m one of the vast majority in Gaza who is in need after losing more than half a million dollars in damaged infrastructure and crops.”
Along with many other farmers who lost their land, Abu Daabs suffers. He said, “Most of us have been reduced to beggars, relying on humanitarian aid to survive. It’s a full-blown economic catastrophe in every sense.”
Abu Daabs’ losses are emblematic of the broader devastation that has crippled Gaza’s economic sectors, including industry, production, commerce, and tourism.
According to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), between 80 and 96 percent of Gaza’s agricultural assets have been damaged, leading to a near-total collapse in food production and exacerbating already high levels of food insecurity.
One year after the war, Israeli authorities continued to block the entry of essential supplies, and the farmland itself was destroyed.
Minister Alamour agrees with Abu Jayyab and warns that no economic revival is possible as long as the assault and what he called the “genocide” by the Israeli government continues.
That is a sentiment that Abu Jayyab agrees with, saying, “The reality on the ground shows that Gaza’s economy is incapable of functioning under current war conditions.”
Mohamed Solaimane is a Gaza-based journalist with bylines in regional and international outlets, focusing on humanitarian and environmental issues
This piece is published in collaboration with Egab