The Protection Center for Human Rights confirmed that spraying chemical pesticides implemented by the occupation authorities along the eastern borders of the Gaza Strip with their drones, under security allegations to eliminate weeds and plants that grow near the separation fence, causes damage to large areas Of agricultural land, and it prevents farmers in those areas from being able to use their lands and do their jobs.
The center added that the occupation authorities deliberately targeted agricultural lands in the sector, in addition to the incursions and bulldozing operations carried out inside the citizens ’lands across the line, which raises the question about the feasibility of using chemical pesticides in spraying herbs with the ongoing dredging operations from time to time. And the other.
According to the monitoring and documentation of researchers at the Protection Center, the occupation authorities deliberately spray agricultural lands in an organized and systematic way to spray land during the period from November to April during the agricultural season targeting winter crops. Where the occupation authorities used during the past years to carry out spraying with chemical pesticides, which causes severe damage to agricultural lands and farmers, where the occupation planes fly at low levels and penetrate into farmers ’lands for various distances to spray pesticides up to a depth of about 2000 meters. The occupation authorities also intend to ignite the rubber tires to ensure the direction of the wind, to increase the area of ​​land reached by the pesticide spray.
The Center pointed out that this type of aircraft used by the occupation authorities can carry between 400-800 gallons of pesticide, and can also fly between 120-160 miles per hour, and this helps in expanding the area of ​​land affected by pesticides, as the area of ​​land affected by the estimated Pesticide spraying in January of this year only approximately "1726065" acres, along the eastern border of the Gaza Strip.
The Protection Center confirmed that the total losses of farmers as a result of the occupation authorities spraying farmers ’lands with pesticides since the beginning of this year to date amounted to about 379,670 dollars, indicating that farmers have become reluctant to cultivate their lands during agricultural seasons for fear of being destroyed as a result of spraying agricultural pesticides, which causes them losing millions of shekels .
The spraying of chemical pesticides causes soil erosion, unfit for cultivation, and loss of soil fertility and liveliness, and constitutes a threat to livestock as the region is a source of food for more than 70% of the animals, as eating these herbs leads to poisoning and then death.
"Protection" pointed to air pollution in the Gaza Strip due to toxic pesticides during the activity of wind movement, which threatens the lives of people, as well as pollution of groundwater as a result of the leak of deadly pesticides into the groundwater reservoir in the territory of the sector, and that in general affects the human life in Gaza.
The occupation authorities revealed a number of materials that are used in the aerial spraying of agricultural lands in the eastern Gaza Strip, and they are represented by "glyphosate, oxygenate and durex". According to the environmental expert, George Karzam, the herbicide sprayed by the Israeli army on farmers´ lands in Gaza , It may remain in the soil without degradation for a few years, explaining that herbicides are carcinogenic and may cause genetic, congenital and reproductive deformities.
According to the WHO´s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in its report, "glyphosate" (the active substance in many herbicides used by the Israeli army against agricultural lands) is considered to cause carcinomas in humans.
Spraying chemical pesticides on the agricultural lands in the Gaza Strip causes damage to and distortion of some crops, as well as changing the color of a number of them as it penetrates into their roots, and this is clearly shown in leafy plants such as "spinach, parsley, peas, turnip, cabbage, zucchini, wheat, Barley, ... "Also, the materials that are sprayed, especially the carcinogenic" glyphosate ", cause the soil to be destroyed and not suitable for cultivation.
Violations of international law
Protection Center stressed that spraying pesticides constitutes violations of international humanitarian law, the rights of Palestinian farmers, and serious damage to the environment and public health according to known scientific results of the types of pesticides used.
He said that destroying these herbs is a process that can be carried out in a safe, legal and declared manner, without causing any harm to agriculture and farmers, the environment and public health, and causing such a large amount of losses to farmers.
He stressed that the occupation forces deliberately harm the civilians, destroy their source of livelihood, harm to health and the general environment, and eliminate any attempt to advance the Palestinian agricultural sector. Rather, its effects extend to the entire economic sector in addition to the extension of those effects to social reality in the Gaza Strip, and by that they entail gross violations of the rules of human rights. Human rights and the rules of international humanitarian law, especially those related to guaranteeing the right to life, the rules that prohibit the violation of private property and property indispensable, and the rules that guarantee the right to work, the right to health and safety, and the right to clean and healthy air and water.
Urgent demands
The human rights organization called on the Food and Agriculture Organization "FAO" and the World Health Organization to conduct extensive investigations to determine the catastrophic effects resulting from spraying pesticides with a view to preparing a database to prosecute and calculate the occupation authorities. And deadly.
It called on the international community and relevant international institutions, bodies and agencies to take the necessary measures to stop aerial spraying of pesticides, and to find a clear mechanism for compensating Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip for the damage done to them.
