Israel's agriculture sector has suffered great losses since the outbreak of conflict between the country and Hamas, leading to the exile of farmers and damage to the land.
While agriculture constitutes only 1 percent of Israel's GDP, it plays a vital role in supporting food security and rural livelihoods.
A large portion of the harvesting in Israel occurs in kibbutzim -- collective farming communities that are deeply rooted in the country's agricultural history.
Israel has been fighting on several fronts over the past 15 months. Although the primary focus has been on Hamas, clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon have also had a profound impact.
When the conflict erupted in October 2023, many foreign laborers that worked in kibbutz fields left the country, causing operations to nearly halt. However, the greater damage comes from missile attacks, which have left long-lasting scars on the land.
The Kibbutz Malkia, located in northern Israel less than one kilometer from the Lebanese border, was among the hardest hit during the clashes.
The fields where Hezbollah missiles landed inflicted devastating crop damage, further impacting the region's agricultural sector.
"Normally, when the missiles fall on the trees, the area will explode, and the big problem is that it starts a fire. The war started in October, and the weeds were still very dry, and missiles fell down and started the fire in the area. We heard the missiles fall, we run into the field with stuff to stop the fire," said Amit Cohen, Head of Agriculture of Malkia Kibbutz.
Cohen estimates it will take six to seven years for the fields to recover and produce crops as they did before the conflict.
"In like short-term damage it's like the missile do damage in the irrigation system, the trees, and the long term, it's like the tree is not producing. Now we are dealing with calculation with account manager and stuff, and it's around only in Malkia between seven to 10 million dollars," he said.
Despite all the devastation he has experienced, Cohen holds onto the hope of peace with his neighbors.
"As we see it, I want peace, the people here want peace. If they say, civilians live here, they have farms, they are doing businesses, it's okay with me. I can go inside and do business with them. I have no problem," he said.
Border towns like Kiryat Shmona also face the challenge of being restored -- not just from missile damage but from long-term abandonment.
"It will be years before we'll know the full extent of the economic damage. In general, all I can say is that Kiryat Shmona is a city that we will now have to build back up from square one," said Ze'ev Zvigi, a social activist.
According to the Bank of Israel, the conflict is projected to cost the country about 66 billion U.S. dollars. Many locals are hoping that the current ceasefire agreement with Hamas will hold, paving the way for crucial recovery efforts to begin soon.
Israel's agriculture sector suffers great losses as conflict displaces farmers, hinders production
Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.
The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.
Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.
"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.
"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.
"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.
Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.
Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.
"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.
"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.
Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts
