URGENT | Israeli Forces Attack UAWC’s Seed Bank Multiplication Unit in Hebron

Defending Peasants Rights hereby republishes the statement issued by UAWC on 31/07/2025

Just moments ago, Israeli occupation forces launched a military assault on the Multiplication Unit of UAWC Seed Bank in the Hebron area, using bulldozers and heavy machinery to demolish storage facilities and infrastructure essential to the unit’s operations.
The attack resulted in the destruction of critical facilities used for storing agricultural materials and inputs, constituting a direct assault on Palestinian food sovereignty, efforts to preserve heirloom seeds, and a continued targeting of the Union itself. We call on all allies, friends, and international partners to urgently act to stop these violations and hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes against land, people, and seeds.
We further urge increased solidarity and support for Palestinian farmers and their right to remain on their land.

31 July 2025

Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) a member organisation of La Via Campesina in Palestine.

The assault resulted in the following damages and losses:

• Complete destruction of the main caravan, which served as a storage facility for agricultural materials and tools used in seed multiplication, processing, and preservation.
• Destruction of the entire electricity network, leading to the total suspension of daily operations within the unit.
• Severe damage to the water infrastructure, causing a complete water cutoff. This has placed the entire 16-dunum cultivated area at risk, as the crops are now threatened with dehydration and death.
• Risk of losing the entire agricultural season, as the crops currently under cultivation represent approximately 80% of the seed stock intended for deposit in the main Seed Bank in Hebron, which was scheduled to be distributed to hundreds of farmers in the upcoming planting season.
• Destruction and loss of large quantities of essential agricultural inputs, including irrigation networks, organic fertilizers, and daily-use farming equipment and tools.
• The most immediate and critical threat is the total loss of the current season due to the water disruption, which could severely undermine national seed sovereignty efforts and impact food security for smallholder farmers.

A full damage assessment is underway, and a detailed report will be released in the coming days.

Images available thus far of the attacked site:

Image source: UAWC

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Defending Peasants Rights strongly condemns this targeted attack on a civilian infrastructure dedicated to food sovereignty and the preservation of peasant seeds in Palestine.

The destruction of this facility is not an isolated act, but part of a deliberate strategy not only to eradicate the livelihoods of Palestinian peasants and the Palestinian population, but also to shatter Palestinian agricultural resources and fertile land. We express our absolute solidarity with members of the UAWC and call on States as well as all social, trade union and popular movements to mobilise to denounce these violations and defend the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people.