By Raed Musa

Raed Musa, reporting from Gaza, wrote about the women farmers who are returning to work on their land near the Israeli firing line. Their story is one of courage in the face of tragedy.

With much emotion, young farmer Ghida Qadih talks about her return to her agricultural land in the town of Al-Fakhari, near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, after a long hiatus due to the genocidal war launched by the Israeli army following the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, 2023.

Ghida, 28 years old, has a deep connection to the land, which began five years ago when she and her companions Nadine Abu Rok and Asil Al-Najjar, along with their colleague Khalil Abu Rajila, formed the “Green Girls Group” (G.G.G.). They all come from families that are famous for working in agriculture, passing down the profession from one generation to the next.

In 2020, the group’s journey began with an agricultural project they established in the town of Khuza’a, east of Khan Yunis. Ghida tells Al-Jazeera that, “We are not graduates of agricultural colleges, but we gained agricultural skills from our families and through volunteer experiences with Khuza’a Municipality and other local organizations.”

Ghida holds a university degree in accounting, while Nadine specializes in financial and accounting sciences. Asil completed her studies in primary education, and Khalil holds a degree in sociology. “What brings us together is our friendship and our love for the land and agriculture,” Ghida adds.

The Beginning of the Journey

The group’s agricultural journey began by renting three dunum (a dunum equals 1,000 square meters). Soon, they expanded by renting another five dunums. Their hard work paid off with noticeable success, and Ghida explains, “We caught the attention of an international organization that reached out to us through the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee, offering us a financial grant.”

Four Palestinian farmers in Gaza got together in 2020 to form Green Girls Group. The team has thrived for three years before Israel’s war in Gaza broke out. Their sole male member is currently detained by Israeli forces, and their Khuza’a farm in the southern city of Khan Yunis… pic.twitter.com/Kp8063FE5O

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) March 1, 2025

Thanks to this grant, Ghida continues, “We rented seven more dunums in Al-Fakhari, establishing a second agricultural project divided into two parts: the first consisted of greenhouses covering two dunums, and the remaining land was open agricultural land with three and a half dunums, while the rest was used for storage and refrigeration.”

Life seemed to open its arms to the four farmers, but then the war erupted, turning their lives upside down. Each of them became preoccupied with their own survival and displacement in search of safety. Khalil was arrested by the occupation forces for nearly a year before being released as part of the final batch in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement about two weeks ago.

The team members were scattered. Ghida says, “It was impossible to reach the two agricultural projects in the towns of Khuza’a and Al-Fakhari, which are close to the Israeli security fence, as these are among the highest-risk areas. Reaching them during the war was a deadly adventure.”

The Khuza’a project is located about 500 meters from the security fence, and this town is one of the most severely affected by complete destruction. It was overrun by Israeli forces during their ground operation in Khan Yunis, which lasted four months between December 2023 and April of the previous year.

Nadine Abu Rok estimates the losses of this project at around $90,000 due to the destruction of 3 dunums of open agricultural land and 3 dunums of greenhouses, in addition to equipment, tools, and storage.

In addition to the destruction and leveling of the Khuza’a project, the Al-Fakhari project also suffered losses worth thousands of dollars due to theft and destruction.

‘My Soul Returning’

Despite these massive losses and the harsh experience of war, Ghida Qadih and Nadine Abu Rok were determined to revive their project in Al-Fakhari. Ghida says, “Despite the scattering caused by the war—where Khalil was in prison, and Asil was stranded in Egypt and couldn’t return to Gaza—Nadine and I decided to return to the land and start farming again.”

It wasn’t an easy decision for the two friends, but Ghida explains that it was necessary. “I felt that my soul returned to my body when I came back to embrace the land again, plant seeds, and care for the plants.”

She continues, “We returned to the Al-Fakhari project because it’s relatively located in a less dangerous area. We were happy with Khalil’s release from prison, and we miss the opening of the Rafah crossing so that Asil can return. We long for the complete withdrawal of the occupation and to go back to our land in Khuza’a to revive it once again.”

Esperanza renacida en Gaza

Después de que la guerra israelí destruyera su proyecto agrícola “Green Girls”, cuatro jóvenes agricultores de Gaza regresan para recuperar su tierra. Superando todos los obstáculos, siguen luchando por un futuro seguro y verde para Gaza. pic.twitter.com/zHNmWaYFjv

— Palestina Internacional Broadcast (@pbi_es) March 12, 2025

Nadine adds that returning to farming is mixed with many fears and challenges. “No one can guarantee that war won’t come again, and we will face destruction, displacement, and loss of lives and property once more. We are working in the unknown, but life must continue despite the risks.”

This team is enduring tremendous difficulty in overcoming many challenges amid complex and compounded crises. There are high costs to secure electricity, with constant outages since the war began, as well as shortages in fertilizers, pesticides, and other essential supplies. According to Nadine, “The prices of these materials are over ten times higher than before the war.”

Due to the lack of fresh water necessary for diverse crops, Ghida says, “Our current farming is limited to certain types of vegetables from the seedlings available in the local market, which don’t require fresh water in large quantities.”

Starving Gaza

Ghida believes that the Israeli occupation has followed a systematic policy to starve Gazans through extensive destruction and leveling of agricultural lands and projects during its war on Gaza. This policy continues now with the ongoing blockade and restrictions on the crossings.

The Israeli occupation imposes restrictions on the entry of goods, agricultural supplies, raw materials, and machinery, hindering the resumption of agricultural and industrial activities in the devastated Gaza Strip.

Mohammad Abu Awda, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, says that, “The Israeli army destroyed agriculture, livestock, and fishing sectors during its genocidal war on Gaza.”

He points out that the agricultural sector is one of the most important sectors in the Palestinian economy, but it faces significant challenges due to the war, including the destruction of agricultural lands and farming infrastructure, restrictions on access to essential resources like water and land, and strict limitations on importing seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.

As a result, Abu Awda says, Gaza’s population is facing crises related to food insecurity, the loss of food sovereignty, the deprivation of the right to food, and a decline in self-sufficiency.

(Al-Jazeera Arabic website – Translated and prepared by the Palestine Chronicle)