Palestinian farmers pick olives during the harvest season, in east of Gaza Strip

Palestinian farmers pick olives during the harvest season, in east of Gaza Strip

Palestinian farmers pick olives during the harvest season, in east of Gaza Strip, October 1, 2022.

👉 Palestinian farmers welcomed a larger olive crop this year after harvest season kicked off in the Gaza Strip.

Olives and olive oil are staple foods in Palestinian cuisine and are regularly found in every home.

At one olive orchard in Gaza City, half a dozen farmers were collecting the harvest, separating the olives from the leaves and tiny tree branches.

The farmers say the harvest this year is better than last year's, in part due to the new olive trees they have planted over the past five years.

"This year's olive production in general is better than last year's production, it is two or three times as much," says farmer Abu Helal Hijji.

He added that it is the result of the farmers' hard work and care.

The work during the 40-day season of olive harvesting and pressing provides temporary jobs to hundreds in the Palestinian enclave, where unemployment has hovered at around 50%. (AP)