Gaza’s agricultural sector has been devastated, with a recent UN assessment revealing that only 4.6 per cent of the enclave’s arable land remains usable. The destruction of farmland, coupled with restrictions on the entry of aid lorries into the enclave, has pushed Gaza's entire population to the brink of famine.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation and the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) report that more than 80 per cent of Gaza’s farmland has been damaged, and 77.8 per cent is inaccessible, leaving 688 hectares available for cultivation.
Israel’s military operations have severely impaired Gaza’s capacity for self-sustenance. Farms, orchards and greenhouses have been destroyed or rendered inaccessible, depriving Palestinians of food and livelihoods.
Before the current conflict began in October 2023, agriculture was important to Gaza’s economy and food security. Although Gaza was never fully self-sufficient, the sector contributed about 6 to 11 per cent of the GDP and employed a significant portion of the population.
Local farms supplied about 12 per cent of the average daily caloric intake per person, producing crops including citrus fruits, dates, olives and vegetables, according to a joint study by the Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Centre for Humanitarian Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
However, this lifeline has steadily been eroded. Remote sensing analyses by the UN Satellite Centre indicate a sharp decline in viable cropland: 8 per cent damaged by December 2023; 28 per cent by January 2024; 43 per cent by February 2024; and 57 per cent by May 2024.
Much of the remaining agricultural land has been bulldozed, bombed or lies in areas that farmers can no longer safely access. Geospatial imagery reveals the widespread degradation from above.
“This level of destruction is not just a loss of infrastructure – it is a collapse of Gaza’s agrifood system and of lifelines,” said Beth Bechdol, deputy director general of the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
International aid agencies have described the situation as a humanitarian catastrophe. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network and other hunger monitors warn that more than half a million people face catastrophic food insecurity.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
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Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
