Israel's continuous bombardment has poisoned Gaza's soil and environment

Khaled Marai, 34, from the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood west of Gaza City, was greatly disappointed after he tried to grow tomatoes and cucumbers to confront the famine prevailing in the northern Gaza Strip.

Marai, who has more than 20 years of agricultural experience, told The New Arab, "I tried to grow vegetable seedlings in my own nursery, and every time the seedlings wither and die despite my regular irrigation."

He explained that after conducting tests on the soil, it was found that it had become unsuitable for agriculture due to its severe contamination by chemicals from Israeli munitions.

Over the course of 13 months of bombing, the Israeli army dropped more than 85,000 tons of bombs on the Gaza Strip—equivalent to more than five times the power of the Hiroshima bomb dropped on Japan in 1945—causing widespread destruction of infrastructure and serious pollution of agricultural soil in the Gaza Strip, which will hinder agriculture for decades according to a statement issued by the Palestinian Environment Quality Authority.

Food insecurity for decades

Ashraf Al-Turk, an environmental expert at the Environment Quality Authority, told TNA that the ongoing Israeli raids since 7 October 2023, "led to the destruction of vast areas of agricultural land and the pollution of the soil with toxic chemicals that could threaten food insecurity for decades to come."

Al-Turk explained that these pollutants will have significant negative effects on the general health of the population, especially children and the elderly, and are a major cause of the spread of respiratory, digestive and skin diseases.

"In the long term, these environmental pollutants in the air, soil and water increase the risk of cancer," he added. 

Al-Turk pointed out that the Israeli army has destroyed aspects of animal agriculture such as cows and sheep, and bird farms such as poultry, and has also destroyed fish farms either by bombing or by cutting off the electricity.

"The Israeli army has also bulldozed 48% of the trees in the Gaza Strip, especially perennial trees such as palm trees, sycamore, mulberry, and cypress, which are trees that prevent soil erosion and limit climate extremes," he said. 

Moreover, residents of the northern Gaza Strip have been forced to systematically cut down the remaining trees to obtain firewood for cooking and heating due to Israel's continued ban on the entry of cooking gas. 

Al-Turk explained that targeting trees in the Gaza Strip, which are considered the natural lung and a source of improving air quality, has led to the deterioration of biodiversity in the region, which includes between 150 and 200 species of birds. He pointed out that this deterioration has caused the death of large numbers of birds or their migration as a result of the destruction of their natural environment.

Al-Turk added that the shells and explosives fired by the Israeli army on Gaza have destroyed 80% of the urban structure and 90% of the infrastructure, leading to the emission of huge amounts of carbon gases and pollutants.

He stressed that these emissions contribute to increasing global warming, which exacerbates the effects of climate change on the Gaza Strip and neighbouring countries and regions.

Environmental impact

A recent study conducted by an international team of researchers on the major environmental impact of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip revealed that greenhouse gas emissions from the first 120 days of military operations in this war (October 2023 – February 2024) were greater than the annual emissions of 26 countries.

This study, which was co-authored by Queen Mary University of London and published on June 6, 2024, indicated that when adding the war infrastructure built by both Israel and Hamas, such as the Israeli Iron Dome system and Hamas's tunnel network, the total emissions exceed the emissions of 36 countries.

The study expected that emissions associated with the reconstruction of Gaza would be higher than the annual emissions of more than 135 countries.

Al-Turk called on the United Nations and the international community to take urgent measures to stop the continuous aggression, prevent the exploitation of the environment for military purposes, and implement international laws.

In addition to the risks of military operations on the environment and soil in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has systematically destroyed agricultural lands in the Strip, which threatens food security even after the end of the war.

The area of agricultural lands in the Gaza Strip amounts to 151 square kilometres, equivalent to about 41% of the area of the Strip, which totals 365 square kilometres.

The contribution of the agricultural sector to the gross domestic product of the Gaza Strip amounted to about 11% in 2022, according to a report issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.