Food sovereignty in Gaza urged

Grassroots groups are demanding accountability and the revival of Palestine's agricultural sector, amid widespread damage and starvation tactics attributed to Israel's military operations in Gaza over the past year, which threaten food sovereignty in the region, as highlighted in a recent World Food Day webinar.

In her video message on Wednesday, Lisa Shahin, advocacy and research officer at The Arab Group for the Protection of Nature, said that for decades, the Israeli occupation has been "stripping Palestinians of water and other natural resources".

Shahin said at the webinar titled "Zero In: Palestine|Uphold the Palestinian people's food sovereignty!" that before the recent aggression triggered by Hamas' Oct 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, about 45 percent of Gaza's food consumption came from local production, contributing significantly to the region's food security.

The agricultural sector was largely self-sufficient in producing various plant species, including a range of vegetables and fruits, she said.

Al Jazeera reported that staff members at three hospitals in northern Gaza said on Wednesday that food was running out as Israel's siege of Jabalia continued for the 13th day.

A day before, Palestinian Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said residents in Gaza were "not only trapped but also lacking food, drink and medicine".

The United Nations said on Monday that more than 400,000 Palestinians "could be starved to death "because Israel decided to bar humanitarian aid or goods from reaching northern Gaza.

The UN update also said dozens of Palestinians trapped in the Jabalia refugee camp were forced to head to the main food supply center of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East on Monday to secure food for their families.

However, the Israeli army reportedly "targeted them with shells and quadcopter drones, killing 10 people and injuring at least 40 more", the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said in a statement on Monday.

The dire humanitarian situation is exacerbated by constant Israeli attacks. At least 28 Palestinians, including children, were killed on Thursday after an Israeli strike hit a school in Jabalia that is sheltering displaced people, a Gaza Health Ministry official told Reuters.

Shahin said the Israeli occupation "has systematically targeted Gaza's local food systems, destroying food sovereignty and the agriculture heritages of the region".

"The occupation employs many tactics that aim and force Palestinians to forgo their rights," she said.

Abbas Milhem, executive director of the Palestinian Farmers' Union in the West Bank, told the webinar that there was "renewed concern" over the escalating attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinian farmers. The attacks had increased four times since October last year, he said.

"These attacks are not merely attacks on individuals — they are attacks on the economic, cultural and social lifeline of the Palestinian people," Milhem said.

"We, as a farmers' union, are expecting that the olive harvest this year will be bloody due to the increased and intensified settler attacks. Palestinian farmers are insisting on access and resisting denial to access their farmlands, despite increasing attacks."

Ghassan Makarem, from the AgriMovement in Lebanon, said displacement and "unfortunately the late reaction of donors" have put huge pressure on Lebanon.

He said they set up a community kitchen in southern Lebanon a year ago when it was "relatively safe".Since fighting intensified between Israel and Hezbollah, 2,000 hectares of land in Lebanon had been burned by Israel, he added.

Makarem said up to 70 percent of Lebanon's food comes from Syria via the Masnaa border crossing, which had been bombed recently by Israel.

"People are using it to flee to Syria from the bombings also. It's only proof of what we saw as ecocide," he said.

It is important to consider reparations as an issue for discussion, he added.

Agencies contributed to this story.