Gaza Farmers Face Lethal Threats as Land Shrinks Under Ceasefire

Saqer Abu Rabee, a 48-year-old farmer in Beit Lahiya, says his son Yousef was killed by a drone-fired missile in October 2024 while working just 10 metres from him. Abu Rabee asserts the missile was aimed directly at his son, a claim echoed in his later testimony that “they decided to target him directly.” His brother Bilal was killed on 2 July while retrieving agricultural supplies, shot by Israeli sniper positions and left exposed for two days. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deny deliberately targeting farmers or civilians, stating operations are limited to “imminent threats from Hamas” since the October ceasefire.

The Guardian

Gaza’s 2.1 million residents are confined to an ever-smaller area. Satellite analysis by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that only about 4,100 hectares of pre-war cropland remain accessible, with roughly 450 hectares (3 %) undamaged and ready for cultivation. Human-rights group Forensic Architecture reports that nearly 68 % of the territory’s flora now lies on the Israeli-controlled side of the “yellow line,” and an additional 5 % falls within a militarised buffer zone where movement is extremely hazardous. UN agencies note that 1.4 million people—about 67 % of Gaza’s population—still face acute food insecurity.

The Guardian

Despite the danger, Abu Rabee has rehabilitated a 1.4-hectare plot using only manual tools, producing “hundreds of thousands” of aubergine, tomato and pepper seedlings. The seedlings are sold to wholesale traders, while most are distributed to other farmers and households. Prices have fallen dramatically: aubergines now cost less than two shekels per kilogram, down from 40 shekels a few months earlier; peppers and mulukhiyah sell at roughly one-tenth of their previous market price. Abu Rabee says Beit Lahiya has “regained a degree of self-sufficiency.”

The Guardian

The IDF maintains that its actions are defensive, aimed solely at neutralising Hamas threats, and rejects accusations of targeting agricultural workers.

The Guardian

• “The missile was aimed directly at him and I have no doubt that he was the intended target,” — Saqer Abu Rabee

The Guardian

• “They decided to target him directly,” — Saqer Abu Rabee

The Guardian

• “What has happened is that Beit Lahiya has regained a degree of self-sufficiency,” — Saqer Abu Rabee

The Guardian

• “The expansion has had a devastating impact on the agricultural sector,” — Saqer Abu Rabee

The Guardian

• “Stray bullets frequently reach this area and strike many places around us. Many people have also been wounded in the streets as a result of indiscriminate attacks. I fear for my own life simply because I’m a farmer.” — Saqer Abu Rabee

The Guardian