Israeli farmer remains steadfast amid ongoing Hamas conflict

Yarden Zemach, 38, has lived in Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel, just 3 miles from the Gaza Strip. During the breach of Israeli defenses by Hamas militants, nearly 1,400 people were killed. Zemach, who grows avocados in the kibbutz, tried to return but was barred by authorities.

Zemach’s 39-year-old brother, Shachar, was killed during the attack.

Despite the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas, the 38-year-old farmer remains in the area. He cited the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas as a reason for his determination and vowed to continue working on the farmland.

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“Our grandparents were the pioneers who built the kibbutz. And we didn’t mean to be pioneers. We never asked for it. History decided otherwise for us,” Zemach told Reuters amid ongoing artillery sounds.

Decades of emphasizing a food-secure homeland has shaped Israel’s economic policies and national identity as a nation that transformed the desert. However, amidst the current focus on war and hostage rescue operations against Hamas, the country is grappling with the challenge of sustaining its foundational farms.

The agriculture ministry said the land surrounding the Gaza Strip was “Israel’s vegetable patch”. Israeli media says 75% of vegetables grown in Israel come from this area, as well as 20% of the fruit and 6.5% of the milk.

According to the most recent Israeli parliamentary data from 2021, 73,500 people were employed in the agriculture sector. Before the war, approximately 128,000 Palestinians worked in Israel. But the majority are currently denied entry from Palestinian territories, with only 6,800 still permitted, as reported by the economy ministry.

Compounding farmers’ challenges, Israelis employed as workers on farms are among the vast majority of citizens called up for military service. As the harvest approaches or is underway, growers are relying on volunteers to help sustain their operations.

A 56-year-old physicist and farm volunteer from Givatayim, Gilad Luria, said, “I wanted to help. Secondly, I think that in addition to the help they’re getting, it is allowing me to get bonded with the people here, with the location, to feel that I’m doing something and not just staying at home and looking at the terrible news, but actually doing something to support the local area, to support the agriculture, to support the people here.”