A devastating new report by the Centre for Political and Development Studies has revealed the scale of environmental and agricultural destruction in Gaza, warning of an impending famine and long-term ecological collapse. Since October 2023, Israeli military operations have systematically targeted Gaza’s fertile lands, crippling food production and placing over 75% of the population at the highest level of food insecurity.

Once providing more than 60% of the enclave’s food needs, Gaza’s agricultural sector has been shattered. More than 102,000 dunams of farmland have been bulldozed. Dozens of vital irrigation wells have been bombed, especially in Rafah and Khan Younis. Fires from phosphorus weapons have rendered soil toxic and unusable, while tanks have flattened topsoil and irrigation networks, triggering localised desertification. These are not the accidental scars of war — the report argues they are part of a calculated effort to erase the land's ability to sustain life.

Essential crops like onions and lemons have vanished from markets, while prices of staple foods like potatoes and tomatoes have surged by over 300%. The World Food Programme confirms that three in four Gazans are now experiencing famine-like conditions, forced to depend almost entirely on dwindling humanitarian aid.

The economic toll is staggering. Losses to Gaza’s agricultural sector are estimated at more than $150 million, with over 20,000 farmers and agricultural workers displaced. Poultry farms, dairy production, storage facilities — all have been flattened.

The report calls on the international community to respond urgently. Recommendations include the creation of a Green Gaza Fund, the formation of an international investigative committee into environmental war crimes, and the immediate lifting of the agricultural blockade. It also urges investment in smart farming and the inclusion of agricultural recovery in global reconstruction efforts.

This is not just a war on Gaza — it is a war on Gaza’s future. As crops rot and soils are poisoned, the world must decide: will it stand by while an entire people are starved into silence, or act before Gaza’s last green shoots are gone forever?