Gaza farmer returns to the grapevines he couldn’t bear to abandon

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Gaza farmer Khaled Abu Madeen has returned to his vineyard in Sheikh Ijlin, in southwestern Gaza City, after nearly three years of war kept him away from the land his family has cultivated for generations. The story says he resumed working the grape fields at dawn with workers, picking fruit from vines that survived damage during the conflict.

According to the report, Abu Madeen had stayed in Gaza City for part of the war, despite opportunities to leave, because he did not want to abandon the vineyards. He later fled with his mother to Deir el-Balah after receiving a warning that his home could be bombed. Al Jazeera says his return became possible after an October ceasefire deal allowed some Palestinians to go back to their land.

When he came back, he found extensive destruction: the article says about 60 percent of the vines had been uprooted. He has since been trying to restore the farm with bulldozers, workers, pesticides and other supplies that remain difficult to obtain. He estimates the recovery will cost at least $40,000. The report adds that his current harvest is only about 40 percent of prewar levels.

Beyond one farmer’s story, the article places the vineyard in the wider context of Gaza’s devastated agricultural sector and rising grape prices, which have climbed because local production is far below normal. For Abu Madeen, the return of the vines represents personal survival, family heritage and a rare sign of renewal in a damaged landscape.