Around 90% of Gaza’s olive trees have been destroyed, according to the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature, with output falling from 55,000 tonnes in 2022 to just 1,000 tonnes in 2025.
The final batch of olive oil pressed by a Palestinian family in Gaza before their olive trees were destroyed has become the centrepiece of a UAE fundraising campaign. Proceeds will go towards planting new olive trees in the enclave.
The initiative, titled The Last Harvest, is being organised by Palestinian olive oil brand Jenin in partnership with The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF). Bidding opens at Dh25,000 and will continue until noon on November 11. UAE residents aged 18 and above are eligible to participate.
The money raised will help fund the planting of around 714 olive trees in Gaza, supporting families as they work to rebuild livelihoods disrupted by the war.
The olive oil was transported to the UAE from Deir Al Balah in Gaza following an uncertain journey. It represents the final harvest for many families in the city, where olive trees have been destroyed during the conflict.
To preserve the oil’s significance, Palestinian artist Lameice Abu Aker created a specially designed glass vessel. Artisans in Jaba, in the West Bank, then hand-blown the piece.
Its form draws inspiration from the oil dispensers commonly found on Palestinian dining tables. A seed-shaped chamber containing the oil rests above a base made from burnt olive wood.
“The oil inside this artwork will never be consumed, but it can help new trees grow and make future harvests possible,” said Tala Hammash, co-founder of Jenin.
Trees lost, livelihoods threatened
The Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) estimates that around 90 per cent of Gaza’s olive trees have been destroyed. Olive oil production has fallen from 55,000 tonnes in 2022 to just 1,000 tonnes in 2025, according to the organisation.
A UN assessment published in August 2026 found that only 3 per cent of Gaza’s cropland remained both accessible and undamaged in June. Before October 2023, agriculture provided livelihoods for more than 560,000 people in the enclave.
For farming families, the damage extends well beyond lost earnings.
“When an olive tree is destroyed, a Palestinian farming family loses far more than a source of income,” said Mariam Al Hammadi, an advisory board member of TBHF. “We want Palestinian children to inherit olive groves, not only memories of the trees that once stood there.”
How people can contribute
Those unable to take part in the auction can still support the campaign through smaller contributions. The initiative offers several ways to help:
- Donate: Contributions start at Dh35, the amount needed to plant one tree. TBHF says it does not deduct administrative fees from direct donations.
- Buy: Profits from Jenin’s limited-edition Fallaheen Reserve olive oil will support the campaign.
- Fundraise: A YallaGive appeal is seeking to collect Dh350,000, equivalent to the cost of planting 10,000 trees.
- Listen: Recorded accounts from olive farmers in Jenin and Hebron are available on the campaign website.
All contributions will be channelled through TBHF to APN, which will use the funds for olive tree replanting, including through its ‘Revive Gaza’s Farmland’ programme.
Based in Sharjah, TBHF is a charitable organisation founded by Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, who also serves as UNHCR’s Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children.
