A group of Gazans are allowed to farm their land near the border with Israel for the first time since 2006 after a deal agreed with Israeli authorities.
The deal, brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross, sees around a dozen farmers set foot on land they had not been able to access since Israel began imposing restrictions measures on the Palestinian enclave, more than a decade ago.
It is part of a wider ICRC project that aims to see around 280 farmers return to their land, between 100 and 300 meters from Israel’s border fence.
Some parts of that territory still have to be cleared of munitions from conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians.
Farmer Anwar Dababi is scattering wheat on the ground near the border close to Rafah in southern Gaza, the first time he has accessed that part of his land since 2006.
“If I came here, I was putting my life in danger, for example, from being shot or a missile. There was no possibility of entering the place with the children to enjoy it,” he says.
Guislain Defurne, head of the ICRC in Gaza, says the return was the result of lengthy negotiations.
“We helped farmers access to their land,” he says. “Forty-five percent of the agricultural land in Gaza is in the border areas so it makes a lot of sense.”
Illustrative: Israeli forces next to the security fence on the border between Israel and southern Gaza Strip. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
— AFP
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