GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — On June 21, the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in the Gaza Strip lifted an eight-year ban on watermelon imports from Israel. The Palestinian government formed by Hamas in March 2006 had banned the import of watermelons to Gaza from Israel and limited consumption to local production. Gaza’s annual watermelon crop hovers around 36,000 tons, which covers Gaza’s needs during the two-month summer season when the market registers a daily consumption of about 600 tons.

The Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza justified its import decision citing the rise of local crop prices due to the greed of some merchants and farmers. The price per kilo (2.2 pounds) reached up to 2 Israeli shekels (roughly $0.50), which is high compared to the price of watermelons during the same period in 2015.

Merchants and farmers attributed the watermelon price rise to the dwindling local supply, as the Palestinian watermelon crops have yet to ripen and areas cultivated for watermelon have shrunk from 4,500 acres to 3,500 acres, in light of a shortage of irrigation water.

After Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, Palestinians used the land areas that were previously controlled by Israel to cultivate various fruits including watermelons, particularly in the western region of Khan Yunis and Rafah in the south — an estimated area of 1,500 dunams (371 acres).