a band of land flanking Gaza’s borders, the zionist-imposed “buffer zone” varies from 1km to 2km but is consistent in its goal of expelling Palestinians from their land, rendering the (valuable agricultural) land useless, and destroying Gaza’s economy and means of self-sufficiency.
“Life is hard for Palestinian farmers in the border region near Israel. The IOF shoot at us every day, any time. They shoot at the international volunteers (ISM) also.” This was Jaber Abu Rjila testifying some of what he has experienced in the last decade on his land less than 300m from the border with… Read More Israeli forces attempts to legitimize pre-meditated murder and land annexation
-by Eva Bartlett On the morning of 4 May 2009, “israeli” troops set fire to Palestinian crops along Gaza’s eastern border with “israel”. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) reported that 200,000 square meters of crops were destroyed, including wheat and barley ready for harvest, as well as vegetables, olive and pomegranate trees. Local… Read More Israel destroying Gaza’s farmlands: arson in Johr ad-Dik
April 20: As we drive through Khoza’a village, east of Khan Younis, en route to the border area (“buffer zone”) farmland we will accompany farmers onto, OJ narrates what happened to this village during Israel’s bloody war on Gaza. On January 12, Israel began to seriously work on Khoza’a, ramping up the shelling, shooting and… Read More Khoza’a after the destruction
April 12: Khoza’a farming: On a lovely, balmy day in southeastern Gaza, the breeze carries the delicious scent of new blossoms, birds bob as they fly, all is nearly-idyllic. Fawzi, 13, is helping his mother, 5 other women, and 2 other men harvest lentils. He is a quiet and serious worker, intent on his task. … Read More excerpts from hurried harvests under Israeli snipers’ watch
Leila Abu Dagga, along with her husband Jaber Rjila, was only on the roof of her house for a few minutes before the Israeli soldiers started shooting. “It was just after 12 noon,” Rjila said. “We were trying to move the asbestos tiles on the roof to cover some holes,” he explained.
In the “buffer zone”, created and expanded by Israel [the now 1 or 2 km band of land running along on Gaza’s side of the border, from south to north and northeast to northwest], it is literally hit and miss whether farmers and civilians will be maimed or killed by the Israeli army on any… Read More some days you get shot at
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza, Apr 6 (IPS) By Eva Bartlett – “They’re always shooting at us. Every day they shoot at us,” says Alaa Samour (19), pulling aside his shirt to show a scar on his shoulder. Samour said he was shot on Dec. 28 last year by Israeli soldiers positioned along the border fence near… Read More Lost in the Buffer Zone: how Israel systematically targets farmers & other civilians on Palestinian farmland
“She was standing in the wheat field near her demolished home, about 800 m from Green Line border, when Israeli soldiers began shooting. The first two bullets hit the ground near her. The third hit her in the kneecap,” Wafa al Najar’s mother explained, sitting on an empty hospital bed next to her injured daughter.… Read More The third shot hit her in the kneecap: teenager targeted by zionist soldiers
17 February What caused the Israeli soldiers to shoot a deaf farmer today? Was he threatening? Was it because the group of farm labourers had successfully worked quickly to harvest their day’s wages? Was the sight of retreating, unarmed, clearly non-threatening civilians too tempting to resist? Whatever the motivation, the result is another casualty of… Read More Dirty Tricks: Israeli Soldiers Shoot Deaf Palestinian Farmer, 4th Farmer Shot in 3 weeks
*Abu Alaa, bringing food for his donkeys and camels -by Eva Bartlett “I worked on farms in Israel for 15 years,” Abu Alaa, the owner of the land said. “We had a good relationship, and the Israeli farmers loved my bread, Palestinian bread, and our baclawa (“baklava”) sweets. I had to stop working there when… Read More What’s 25,000 flowers when 40 million rot and farmers continue to be shot at?
In Gaza 