KHAN YUNIS, Gaza Strip — Farmers in the border areas in the east of the Gaza Strip are voicing concerns over a renewed Israeli war. They fear the imposition of a buffer zone of up to 300 meters (328 yards) if no final agreement is reached with the resistance factions. Talks will take place during negotiations scheduled later this month in Cairo.
The state of calm, which has prevailed in the eastern regions since the announcement of the truce on Aug. 26, was not enough for farmers to rehabilitate their land because of fears of their being damaged again. The border lands are the first to be harmed in the event of a land invasion and the first victim of every Israeli war.