Ramallah: Palestine accused Israel on Tuesday of destroying more than 90% of Gaza's agricultural assets over the past two years and harming over 5,353 farmers in the occupied West Bank since the start of this year. The agricultural sector in Palestine is facing 'major transformations and unprecedented challenges' as a result of Israel's 'systematic violations targeting land, water, people, and identity,' Agriculture Minister Rezq Salimia said in a press conference held at the ministry's headquarters in Ramallah.

According to Anadolu Agency, Salimia stated that the 'genocidal war in the Gaza Strip caused massive destruction, exceeding 90% of agricultural resources and assets, including irrigation wells, greenhouses, and farming facilities.' In the West Bank, he noted that Israel controls more than 60% of its territory, blocking development, reclamation, and rehabilitation projects, and preventing the expansion of agricultural land use.

Salimia highlighted that if access to those areas under Israeli control were possible, they would have generated more than $3 billion in economic value and provided at least 200,000 job opportunities. He emphasized that this could have allowed Palestine to dispense with all foreign aid if investment in those lands were permitted.

Since the beginning of 2025 through mid-October, more than 5,353 farmers were affected by Israeli violations, marking a 17% increase compared with last year, Salimia reported. He mentioned that total losses exceeded $70.3 million, including the burning and uprooting of trees, destruction of agricultural infrastructure, killing and theft of livestock, confiscation of tens of thousands of dunams of land, and preventing farmers from accessing them while allowing systematic settler grazing.

Since October 2024, the ministry has documented the destruction of more than 15,000 olive trees, as stated by Salimia. Furthermore, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that Israel has killed over 68,200 people and injured more than 170,300 in Gaza since October 2023. The occupied West Bank also saw a sharp rise in attacks over the same period, with at least 1,056 Palestinians killed, around 10,300 injured, and more than 20,000, including 1,600 children, detained, according to official Palestinian figures.