Palestine: Olive producers are finding it increasingly difficult to get back on their feet in the Gaza Strip

Since the beginning of the war in Gaza on October 7, farmers have not been able to work on their fields. The olive harvest season has begun in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, but the Palestinians cannot do anything. Samaher Abu Jameh, a mother of two, is annoyed and distraught. Since childhood, he has been working with his parents in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, in the city of Abasan al-Kabira, close to the Israeli border. "My land has olive trees, greenhouses planted with tomatoes and livestock," he says. "I have no idea what condition they are in right now." I just want to get there to see what has become of it,” he continues. This feeling is shared by farmers throughout Gaza. October and November, when the olives are harvested, have special significance for Palestinians, who see the harvest as a national holiday that celebrates their relationship with the land. At this time, the farmers pick the olives together with their family and friends. The folk songs they ...