At 4 a.m., while Gaza was still shrouded in darkness and silence, Khaled Abu Madeen resumed the familiar work he had left behind nearly three years ago due to war. He walked between the rows of grapes in Sheikh Ijlin, southwest of Gaza City, alongside workers who inspected the fruit and cut clusters from vines that had survived the conflict.
The early morning air was cooler. The first light spread across the vineyard, revealing rows of green plants that at one point Khaled feared he would never see again.
For Khaled, 50, this year is not just a harvest. It marks the return of a life he thought was lost. “I feel like I have returned to my soul,” he said while working among the vines.
Khaled's family has cultivated grapes and figs in Sheikh Ijlin for generations. The land was inherited from his father and grandfather, and Khaled eventually chose agriculture as a full-time career, leaving behind his previous project management profession.
In October 2023, war broke out. Khaled had a chance to leave. His wife held Lebanese-Italian citizenship, and Khaled had studied in Italy, earning both a bachelor's and master's degree. Moving to a safe place in Italy made sense, but that would mean abandoning the vineyard — and Khaled could not do that.
During the early months of the war, Khaled stayed in Gaza City, refusing to leave despite the danger. His wife and children were eventually evacuated to Italy. Khaled remained, trying to stay close to the land and his elderly mother. Then, Israeli airstrikes came closer. He recalled receiving a call demanding he leave immediately, with a threat to bomb his house if he did not comply.
“I had no other choice,” Khaled recounted. “I left with my mother and fled to Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza.”
Away from the vineyard, Khaled said his mind was always on what was happening to his land. Despite the great danger — northern Gaza, including Gaza City, had been devastated by Israeli forces during the war — he repeatedly tried to go back.
On one attempt, he went with two workers to check the fields. According to him, Israeli forces opened fire, wounding one of the workers. “We ran out of the line of fire,” Khaled recalled. “We stayed there for hours until we could rescue him after he had lost a lot of blood.”
Nevertheless, after that experience, Khaled could not shake the thought: He had to return to his vines.
