Hundreds of Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip have been granted access to about 250 hectares of land which they hope to rehabilitate and mainly cultivated with wheat.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) managed to secure land for farming, for the first time in over a decade. However, in order for the land to be farmed, the ICRC had to comb it for unexploded ordinances and other remnants of the decades’ long war between Israeli and Palestinian forces.
ICRC head of communication, Susanne Doettling, said, “Before starting the project, the ICRC also conducted mine education sessions for laborers and farmers so they were aware of related dangers”.
Treaty gives new hope for farmers of Palestine https://t.co/peJVt0fhcX via @abcnews @ABCRural
— Anthony Pancia (@byanthonypancia) June 6, 2016
Over six kilometers of road had to be repaired and nine kilometers of pipe work installed to allow the delivery of water to the field.
Doettling added, “After 15 years of restricted access, more than 400 Gazan farmers are able to access their lands again, in some areas just 100m from the patrolled fence.”
(ABC News, PC)
