[News] Israeli Planes Spray Crop-killing Pesticides on Gaza Farmland

[Anti-Imperialist News]

  Israeli Planes Spray Crop-killing Pesticides on Gaza Farmland

December 24, 2015
*http://www.imemc.org/article/74339*

    Israeli planes reportedly sprayed agricultural crops along the Gaza
    border, on Wednesday, with pesticides that have been killing off
    crops for the third day in a row, the general manager of the plant
    protection department at the Gaza-based Ministry of Agriculture said.

Wael Thabet said, according to Ma'an, that “several farmers informed the 
ministry that Israeli planes sprayed their lands with pesticides around 
the al-Qarrara area, in eastern Khan Younis, and the Wadi al-Salqa area 
ofeast central Gaza, damaging a large number of crops.”

Saleh al-Najjar, a farmer from al-Qarrara, said he lost some 30 dunams 
(7.4 acres) of spinach and pea crops due to the spraying, which has 
taken place from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. over the past three days.

Another farmer, Wael al-Shami, said he lost crops of parsley and beans 
which were planted near al-Qarrara in eastern Khan Younis.

Thabet alleged that Israeli forces deliberately spray pesticides 
periodically on agricultural lands near the Gaza-Israeli border to 
destroy crops.

Thabet added that the Red Cross made a trip to observe the damaged lands 
and reportedly estimated that 1500 dunams (371 acres) of land in central 
Gaza and 200 dunams (50 acres) of land in eastern Khan Younis were 
damaged according to initial reports.

Thabet demanded that the Red Cross contact Israel and call for it to 
stop its violations against farmers in Gaza.
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