By Nour Mahd Ali Abu Aisha and Cagri Kosak

GAZA (AA): Israel’s uncontrolled opening of a dam’s gates has caused $500,000 worth of damage to agricultural areas in Gaza, the Palestinian Agriculture Ministry said Sunday.

Large swaths of farmland in eastern Jabalia and Beit Hanoun were damaged while poultry and bees in beehives perished due to flooding, it said in a statement.

Agricultural products including potatoes and onions were completely destroyed on around 920 acres of flooded land, it said.

Stating that the Israeli army is blocking damage assessment efforts by using tear gas, the ministry called on international foundations and human rights organizations to stop Israel’s violations.

Last week, hundreds of dunams of agricultural land in the Gaza Strip sank when Israeli authorities released rainwater from the collection dams into the coastal enclave. Large amounts of crops were damaged as a result, Days of Palestine reports.

Israel, which has built many dams in the region, periodically opens their gates, leading to the flooding of homes and land in Gaza.

[Photo: Members of Abu Amre family prepare their meal next to debris of their house which were destroyed in the latest Israeli attack on Gaza, in Gaza City, Gaza on January 10, 2020.17. Photographer: Muhabiri Ali Jadallah/AA]