GAZA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Mounting hunger risk in the Gaza Strip has pushed seasoned farmer Yousuf Abu Rabea to start a rooftop farm while preparing his war-damaged farmland against all odds.
"Vegetables, fruits, meat, and even canned food that used to reach us as humanitarian aid were out of stock at local markets," the 24-year-old man from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza told Xinhua.
His attempt is deemed high-stakes as unexpected aerial attacks, drought, and shortage of fertilizers under the strict Israeli blockade threaten to ruin all the work being done to produce vegetables to feed a starving neighborhood.
Palestinians displaced by the ongoing conflict have gotten used to life on the breadline. The tipping point for Yousuf to resume farming was knowing that his three neighbors died of hunger.
Fearing that his family was heading for the same disaster, Yousuf started cleaning the roof to create his first patch of plants once the Israeli army allowed him and other displaced residents to return to their town.
Challenges are many. Arable lands were either ruined in attacks or occupied by tents sheltering the displaced. Sixty-three percent of permanent crop fields in Gaza have been damaged, UN statistics showed in July.
Worse yet, the besieged coastal enclave has been suffering from a lack of water. About 67 percent of water and sanitation facilities have been destroyed or damaged due to conflict-related activities, UN statistics showed in June.
Even viable seeds are scarce. Yousuf said he plowed through abandoned lands and managed to "collect seeds of green peppers, eggplants, watercress, and other fast-growing and easy-to-grow crops."
Yousuf and his brother then dried the seeds for two days before replanting them. Their first batch of vegetable seedlings was a success, which encouraged others to join and expand the scale.
"We are now preparing to plant some summer vegetables to ensure a minimum supply of agricultural products for our people," he said.
Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023. The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 38,983, Gaza-based health authorities said on Sunday.
Two million people, nearly the entire population of Gaza, are experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity, and malnutrition is on the rise, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on the social media platform X in late June.
Gazans "do not have enough food to keep going. Many of them go to bed hungry, having one meal a day if they are lucky," WFP said. "Famine is not just about food. People need nutrition. They need access to healthcare. They need clean water, and they need shelter."
Even if the war ends soon, Yousuf said, "we will not be able to return to our normal life quickly."
Instead of sitting back and waiting for donations to arrive, farming is like another string in their bow, according to this young farmer.
Now he is encouraging other farmers to cultivate their lands even if the war continues. "It will end sooner or later, so we have to prepare for that day," he said. ■