Al-Zawayda: A Palestinian family harvests and sorts olives on its farm in Al-Zawayda in central Gaza, where farm owner Marwan Al-Ta'ban says production has fallen from five to six tonnes a year before the war to barely one tonne now. "Before the war, we used to hire workers for the harvest, but today we no longer do so because of lower production and yields," he says. He said the closure of the Rafah crossing has also made it difficult to bring in fertilisers and treatments needed for the olive trees. "While the crossings allow food and fruit to enter, they do not permit the import of fertilisers or treatments for the trees. This affects the trees, affects us and harms the olive harvest," he said. Al-Ta'ban said many olive trees across Gaza have also been destroyed. "Beyond the yellow line, most of the olive trees have been bulldozed. Similarly, from the Rafah crossing to the other one, Beit Hanoun, everything was uprooted. In the north, the south, the west, and the east, everything was uprooted, leaving a specific area in the central Gaza Strip to be cultivated," he said. "Annual production used to be around five to six tonnes, but today we can barely harvest a single tonne of olives due to the difficulties we face regarding the shortage of fertilisers and water," he added.
