Israel airstrikes cause problems for Gaza farmers

The Israeli regime’s airstrikes have caused countless problems for Palestinian farmers in the besieged Gaza Strip, Press TV reports.

The attacks have resulted in polluted farmland, creating different health risks for the farmers and their families.

Nizar al-Wahidi, an official with the Palestinian Agriculture Ministry, told Press TV on Monday that the Israelis targeted the farmland in the area in the past days. He said the Tel Aviv regime claims that the land is empty, but it is not.

Wahidi said that “The rockets contain poisonous chemicals like uranium which causes a number of health issues to Gaza citizens.”

Officials at Gaza’s Shifa hospital have also warned about the increase of cancer patients in Gaza due to Israeli attacks.

“We have noticed an increase of cancer patients in Gaza in the past three years. International reports have proven that there is huge amount of uranium in the area as a result of the Israeli aggressions and attacks” said Khalid Thabet, head of the Oncology Department at Gaza’s Shifa hospital.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said earlier in February that the Israeli regime’s use of internationally-banned weapons has sharply increased the number of cancer cases.

“Thousands of tons of unconventional weapons containing carcinogenic agents were fired on Gaza in the last 14 years. Many of the weapons used by the Israeli forces are internationally banned and contain illegal substances that not only affect people but they also have long-term effects on the environment,” said Health Ministry Spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra.

Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standards of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.