The bombs and missiles that have destroyed Gaza will continue to have an impact on Gaza's ecosystems for many decades to come - Orla Mahon reports.
According to recent reports, Israel’s military assault on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 72,133 people since October 2023, with a further 171,826 Palestinians having been injured since the conflict began. Amidst the devastation of the war on Gaza, however, another crisis is emerging: the environmental destruction of Palestine.
Just 1.5% of Gaza’s agricultural land remains accessible and undamaged, while roughly 61 million tons of rubble litters the Strip. The debris is not merely the physical remains of Gaza, of buildings and infrastructure torn apart by missiles and bombs, but is indeed in itself a further risk to life. The rubble is contaminated with hazardous materials including asbestos, heavy metals and chemical pollutants. As these materials break down, they seep into Gaza’s soil and water systems - creating a toxic environment that will likely persist long after the bombing stops.
For many Palestinians, the environmental consequences are already acutely felt. Palestinians living in Gaza report that they fear the air they breathe is contaminated with pollutants, and that the water they consume carries disease. In a comment to the Guardian, Abu Diab, living in a warehouse in Rafah after having been displaced from Gaza City, stated, “There is pollution everywhere – in the air, in the water we bathe in, in the water we drink, in the food we eat, in the area around us.”
“There is pollution everywhere – in the air, in the water we bathe in, in the water we drink, in the food we eat, in the area around us.”
The widespread loss of farmland, the contamination of soil, and the collapse of agricultural systems threaten the territory’s long-term food security and ecological stability. The devastation that has been enacted upon Gaza’s environment has been increasingly referred to as envirocide - that is, the severe and widespread damage to ecosystems and biodiversity that undermines the ability of populations to survive.
Agriculture has long been central to Palestinian life and economy. Palestine is historically associated with its olive trees, its circus fruits, its dates. Since October 2023, the agricultural sector has been devastated - in 2024, satellite analysis suggested that approximately 82% of the territory’s annual crops have been destroyed or rendered inaccessible. A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment further found that Gaza has lost approximately 97% of its tree crops and 95% of its shrubland since 2023, meaning that large-scale food production is currently impossible across much of the territory.
The Abu Suffiyeh family have cultivated a farm in Jabalia, close to the north border of Gaza, for the past decade. “There is almost nothing to recognise there,” one family member described to the Guardian. “No traces of the land we knew. They totally erased it. It is now the same as it was before: desert … There is no single tree there. No traces of prior life. If I was to go there, I wouldn’t be able to recognise it.”
“No traces of the land we knew. They totally erased it. It is now the same as it was before: desert … There is no single tree there. No traces of prior life. If I was to go there, I wouldn’t be able to recognise it.”
The destruction extends far beyond the immediate loss of crops. The razing of orchards and fields is apparent, but the destruction goes beyond the surface - and into the soil of Gaza.
Military bombardment compacts soil, disrupts irrigation systems, and destroys ecosystems that require years to establish - indeed, sometimes decades, sometimes centuries, have been invested in these harvests. In many areas, topsoil has been destroyed by explosives or buried beneath layers of debris - drastically reducing its fertility, and the ability from anything to grow from the soil in the near future. UNEP researchers also warn that the loss of vegetation combined with soil compaction caused by military activity reduces the soil’s capacity to absorb water, increasing runoff and flood risks while limiting the natural recharge of groundwater.
Compounding this destruction is the vast volume of debris scattered across Gaza. Estimates suggest that more than 61 million tons of rubble now covers the Strip. Within this debris exists hazardous substances such as asbestos from older buildings, heavy metals from construction materials and military munitions, and other toxic residues released during explosions. According to the UNEP assessment, around 78% of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed, creating a huge quantity of debris, with roughly 15% of the rubble carrying significant contamination risks.
As wind and rain disperse these contaminants, they infiltrate surrounding soil and groundwater. Over time, heavy metals can accumulate in crops and livestock, entering the human food chain and posing serious long-term health risks.
Whilst facing the combined impacts of crop destruction, soil degradation, and water contamination, there is an urgent and immediate threat to Gaza’s food systems. Alongside this, with the Israeli blockade of food into Gaza, the population of Gaza faces imminent risk of starvation in what many experts have called a famine. The UNEP report also notes that more than 500,000 people in Gaza are already facing famine conditions, while around one million others are experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity. Even with hopes of restoring agricultural systems, the revitalisation of Gaza’s environmental ecosystems will take years.
“Destruction of environment during conflicts not only affect public health directly in the immediate aftermath – through air and water pollution – but also affects long term recovery due to destruction of livelihood depending on environmental resources."
Environmental degradation in Gaza is also translating into health risks for the population. Dust from collapsed buildings carries asbestos fibers and particulate matter that can cause respiratory illnesses when inhaled. Polluted water sources increase the risk of gastrointestinal disease, whilst exposure to toxic substances may contribute to chronic health conditions over time. The collapse of water and sewage infrastructure has further intensified these risks: freshwater supplies in Gaza are now severely limited and much of the remaining water is polluted, as damaged sanitation systems and the use of cesspits have likely contaminated the aquifer that provides much of Gaza’s drinking water. This water crisis has already contributed to a sharp increase in infectious diseases, such as acute diarrhoea and acute jaundice syndrome, associated with hepatitis A.
“Destruction of environment during conflicts not only affect public health directly in the immediate aftermath – through air and water pollution – but also affects long term recovery due to destruction of livelihood depending on environmental resources,” stated Muralee Thummarukudy, Director of the Coordination Office of UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
UNEP has warned that the scale of environmental damage in Gaza is unprecedented and that recovery of its soils, freshwater systems, vegetation and ecosystems could take decades, requiring extensive debris removal, environmental testing and the reconstruction of critical water and sanitation infrastructure.
The environmental impact of the missiles and bombs that have devastated Gaza will likely endure long after any ceasefire.