The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed today, Tuesday, that the value of the initial damages incurred in the agricultural sector during the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip amounted to 1,300,275 US dollars.

The ministry's spokesperson, Adham Al-Basiouni, said in a press conference, "This aggression resulted in the destruction of many acres planted with vegetables and trees, as a result of the direct targeting of these lands, or as a result of the interruption of irrigation water on agricultural crops during the period of the Israeli aggression, as farmers were unable to reach to their lands."

And he indicated that the livestock suffered great losses, represented by the death of numbers of birds and animals as a result of direct targeting by the occupation aircraft and artillery, stressing that the direct targeting of the agricultural sector caused severe damage to agricultural facilities, wells, main and secondary conveyor lines, agricultural ponds, stores of agricultural equipment, pesticides and bee farms.

Al-Basiouni said: "The occupation's targeting of the agricultural sector has led to weakness and lack of marketing capacity in some cases for many plant and animal agricultural products as a result of movement restrictions and difficulty in accessing agricultural lands and animal facilities, as well as market disruption, in addition to the absence of an export opportunity for many agricultural products." And fish, which caused a sharp drop in prices for many agricultural products, causing huge losses to producers.

He added, "All these factors and others led to the unemployment of a large number of workers in the agricultural, plant and animal sectors, including fishermen, which led to a deterioration in their economic situation, and the creation of a difficult humanitarian situation among workers in the agricultural sector."

Al-Basiouni stressed that the Palestinian farmer will remain the owner of his land, continuing to cultivate it without tirelessness or hesitation, regardless of the targeting and aggression committed by the occupation against him. To stand and support the Palestinian farmer in all stages and fields, and will continue to work to strengthen his steadfastness on his land.

He called on the international community and all human rights and specialized institutions to unify efforts by pressing the occupation in order to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip and to work on rebuilding what was destroyed by the occupation, and to compensate farmers for what they incurred as a result of this aggression.