By Aryeh Savir/TPS • 27 March, 2019

Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance will support farmers in the Gaza vicinity with an amount of NIS 8 million to encourage early harvesting while the wheat is still moist, ahead of the arson terrorism launched from the Gaza Strip that is expected to commence once the weather dries up.

Israeli farmers whose fields are adjacent to the security fence will receive financial support for the early harvesting of wheat and barley, which will be used for animal feed.

The allocation of the subsidy budget will ensure that most of the wheat and barley will be reaped green or half-green and before drying, thus avoiding the possibility of it being burned by Gazan terrorists.

The farmers who are entitled to the support, those in the “line of fire,” are field owners within a range of seven kilometers from the perimeter fence around the Gaza Strip. This includes an area totaling some 112,000 dunams of wheat and barley.

Minister of Agriculture Uri Ariel stated that “during these days when the residents of the south are experiencing daily terrorism, we are here for them, to listen to their needs and respond in kind. Together with the prime minister and the finance minister, we worked to help the farmers so that the land of Israel won’t burn anymore and that Hamas will not be able to take pride in the burnt [Israeli] fields.”

Hamas last summer launched a campaign of arson terrorism against the Jewish state which set hundreds of fires and burned some 10,000 acres of land, destroying nature preserves and natural habitats and causing millions of dollars of damage to Israeli farms.

Arson attacks had become a nearly daily occurrence since the beginning of Hamas’ “March of Return” campaign last March.