GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel is still bombing agricultural lands as part of its operations in different regions in the Gaza Strip. These regions have become a main target for the Israeli army since the start of Operation Protective Edge on July 8. This proves that the systematic Israeli air raids against them have an underlying security target.

The night shelling had gone on for days before the start of Operation Protective Edge, and Israel had targeted the agricultural lands in the different areas of the Gaza Strip. After the start of the operation — which was first restricted to air raids, then included the use of warships — the intensity and magnitude of shelling against agricultural and arid lands increased in the south, north, southwest, east and center of the Gaza Strip.

In the beginning, the shelling focused on the agricultural regions that were formerly Israeli settlement lands and were evacuated in compliance with the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005.

Farmer Maher Abu Hdayda told Al-Monitor what happened on his land in the Ein Jalut agricultural region, southwest of Khan Yunis city, after it was subjected to airstrikes by Israelis last week before the announcement of the current military operation. “You know what a tsunami is? This was a tsunami of fire burning my agricultural land and destroying it completely,” he said.