Israeli pesticides damage Gaza crops: NGO

By Mohamed Majed

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Palestinian farmers have incurred huge losses from Israeli pesticides sprayed along border of the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian NGO said on Monday.

Last week, Israeli aircraft sprayed pesticides along border with the Gaza Strip.

The spraying operations “risk causing Palestinian farmers to lose their source of income,” Al Mezan Center for Human Rights said in a statement.

“The pesticides damage crops and harm livestock and birds feeding on grass in the sprayed area,” it added.

The NGO warned that the Israeli spraying operations will have a “disastrous impact” on the future of the agricultural production in the Palestinian territory.

Last week, Wael Thabet of the Gaza Agriculture Ministry said Palestinian farmers have sustained huge losses in past years because of the Israeli pesticides.

According to Israeli Gisha NGO, the Israeli spraying operations aim to get rid of unneeded grass along border with the Palestinian territory.

Some 44,000 Palestinians are working in agriculture, making up around 11 percent of the territory’s work force.

The Gaza Strip, home to nearly two million Palestinians, has been reeling under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007.