Testimonies

Wadha Sa'dallah, farmer

I live with my husband in a 160-square-meter apartment in Beit Lahiya. It has three rooms, a kitchen, and bathroom. Our sons live with their families in apartments next door: Nizar, 32, with his wife and four children; Ghassan, 30, with his wife and three children; Muhammad, 25, with his wife and young son; and Hamdan, 23, with his wife.

We all work at growing strawberries, which we used to export to European markets through the Israeli company Agrexco. We have four dunams [one acre] of farmland. First, we plow the field, and then we fertilize it. In September, we plant and water the seedlings, and spray them to kill the insects. In October, we cover the seedlings with nylon to protect them from the cold and wind, and in November, we begin to pick and pack them in plastic containers and put them in cartons to prepare them for export. The shipment goes through Karni Crossing, the only crossing allowed for our exports. 

Until 2006, our work went fine most of the time. But then [in September - when Gilad Shalit was abducted] Israel began to close the crossings to Gaza for long periods of time, which created problems for us. We need regular fuel and diesel fuel to operate the irrigation machines, and we also need the sprays and disinfectants and nylon covering. We get all these things from Israel.

In September 2007 we planted strawberries on our four dunams and watered and sprayed the plants. Working each dunam costs us about 10,000 shekels. We were hoping to pick, pack, and export them to Europe, just like we did every year.  

In November and December of 2007, we started to pick the fruit. The whole family took part in the work and we also hired some workers. We packed about 40 cartons weighing about 2.5 kilograms each and exported the strawberries via Kerem Shalom Crossing [because Karni was closed]. After that, the crossings were closed and we were left with a lot of strawberries. We had to sell them locally for a shekel or two a kilo, rather than for an average of 15 shekels, which is what we make, after deducting all expenses (such as seedlings, fertilizer, cartons, plastic containers, transport to the crossing and to pay the fee to the Gaza Strawberry Growers Association) if we export it to Europe. As a result, we lost about 25,000 shekels on last year's crop.

We rely on the export of strawberries to provide our livelihood for the entire year. Since Israel closed the borders and imposed the siege, in particular last season, when the crossings were closed most of the time, our entire family has been living in poverty. We used to eat chicken or meat almost every day, but now it is down to twice a month. Because of our dire financial straits, I always look for ways to cut household expenses. Besides, food prices have gone up a lot. For example, a few days ago, a kilo of tomatoes cost three shekels, and now it is five shekels.

We are a total of five families. If each family eats a kilo of tomatoes a week, we spend 25 shekels just on tomatoes. Each family needs at least 30 shekels a day for food, a total of 150 shekels a day for all of us, and that assumes we eat the cheapest food, like beans and falafel for supper, which costs about 15 shekels for the whole family.

Now we calculate every step. Today, for example, I visited a relative who is hospitalized in a-Shifa'a Hospital. It cost me 50 shekels, 25 shekels for transportation and 25 shekels for a gift. The trip used to cost only 10 shekels. 50 shekels is a lot for us now, when we don't have an income. We don't have any other way to make a living.

All the time, I'm thinking about how to get by, and how to put food on the table that will cost as little as possible.

The shortage of fuel also makes it hard to breathe. Drivers began to use cooking oil, and we choke from the car fumes. All these problems result from the siege.

Wadha Ahmad Musa Sa'dallah, 66, married with four children, is a farmer and a resident of Beit Lahiya in the Gaza Strip. Her Testimony was given to Muhammad Sabah at a-Shifa'a Hospital on 11 May 2008.