Gaza olive harvest expected to fall far below normal levels

Palestinian residents said Israeli military machinery uprooted olive trees near Kafr Malik in the occupied West Bank, where a landowner told Reuters he had been unable to reach his land for three years; the Israeli military said it was checking the report. In Gaza, war damage and restricted access have devastated the olive harvest: local agriculture officials estimate that only about 150,000 of roughly 2 million olive trees remain, with this season’s crop expected to fall to about 5,000 tonnes of olives and 700 tonnes of oil, far below normal levels. Much of the groves has reportedly been bulldozed, while other areas lie beyond the Israeli-guarded “yellow line,” leaving Palestinians unable to reach them. The collapse has also deprived families of a key food and livelihood, and the limited oil reaching markets reportedly costs about three times its pre-war price.