While the world is preoccupied with scenes of human and urban destruction left behind by the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip, another less discussed, but equally serious issue is emerging: environmental genocide.
Israel committing ‘environmental genocide’ in Gaza
In an article the Guardian published on 27 September, British writer George Monbiot described what Israel is doing in the Strip as “a double erasure of the Palestinian people and their land”, citing UN and environmental reports that reveal the extent of the systematic destruction of agriculture, water, and ecosystems.
Before October 7 2023, Gaza produced enough vegetables and poultry to meet a significant portion of its demand for olives, fruits, and dairy products, with 40% of its land under cultivation. Today, according to a UN report, only 1.5% of agricultural land remains usable, which cannot feed more than two million besieged people.
Monbiot pointed out that the occupying forces have deliberately bulldozed farms, destroyed greenhouses, sprayed fields with pesticides, and crushed the soil with continuous bombardment, attempting to justify this by claiming that the resistance is active within agricultural land.
Water scarcity and worsening thirst
Before the war, each person in Gaza had access to about 85 litres of water per day, the internationally recommended minimum. But by February 2025, the average had fallen to only 5.7 litres per person per day. The collapse of sewage treatment plants has led to the contamination of soil and groundwater and the leakage of pollutants into the coast.
The occupation has also pumped seawater into the tunnels, exacerbating the salinity of the coastal aquifer and threatening its usability.
Contaminated rubble, toxic materials, and destruction of olive trees
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the rubble from bombing and demolition covers Gaza at a rate of 107kg per square metre. This rubble contains a mixture of contaminated cement, ammunition remnants, and heavy metals such as lead, copper, and mercury, in addition to depleted uranium.
Other reports document the use of white phosphorus, which exacerbates environmental pollution and leaves long-term health effects.
Olives have always represented 14% of the Palestinian agricultural economy, in addition to their symbolic status in national identity. However, the occupation has destroyed hundreds of thousands of trees, depriving Palestinians of a major source of livelihood and a deeply-rooted cultural symbol.
Global implications and systemic erasure
Environmental agencies have estimated that the reconstruction of Gaza – if it takes place – will release carbon emissions equivalent to those of a medium-sized country. On a broader level, armies worldwide generate 5.5% of emissions, but remain exempt from climate commitments under the Paris Agreement as a result of pressure from military lobbies.
Monbiot believes that the goal of this destruction is not only to kill Palestinians, but also to make their land uninhabitable. Palestinian environmental researcher Mazen Qumsiyeh echoes this, arguing that:
The environmental degradation in Gaza is not an accident, but a deliberate policy aimed at breaking the resilience of the Palestinian people on their land.
Feature image via Associated Press/Youtube.
By Alaa Shamali
This post was originally published on Canary.