Widespread environmental destruction raises concerns over potential war crimes and the long-term unlivability of the region

In the wake of ongoing conflict, Gaza faces a profound ecological crisis, with extensive environmental destruction documented through satellite imagery. The devastation includes obliterated farmlands, nearly half of the territory’s trees razed, and escalating air and water pollution, sparking debates on whether these actions constitute ecocide—a potential war crime.

Soha Abu Diab and her family, among thousands displaced, endure dire living conditions in Rafah, surrounded by pollution. “This life is not life,” Abu Diab laments, highlighting the omnipresent contamination affecting all aspects of daily survival in Gaza.

Satellite imagery analysis has revealed that between 38-48% of Gaza’s tree cover and farmland have been eradicated since the conflict’s escalation. The environmental toll extends to olive groves turned to dust, soil and groundwater poisoned by munitions, seas overwhelmed with sewage, and air laden with particulate matter from ongoing bombings.

Experts warn of the irreversible damage to Gaza’s ecosystems and biodiversity, urging international bodies to investigate these acts as ecocide. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) maintain that their operations adhere to international law, asserting efforts to minimize environmental and agricultural damage unless deemed operationally necessary.

The analysis conducted by He Yin from Kent State University and Forensic Architecture, a London-based research group, illustrates the systematic obliteration of Gaza’s green cover. “It’s whole orchards gone, only soil left,” Yin observes, signalling an assault on the territory’s agricultural backbone.

The implications of such widespread environmental degradation are staggering, with the potential to render Gaza unlivable. Beyond the immediate human tragedy, the destruction of agricultural infrastructure, including thousands of greenhouses, threatens food security and livelihoods, deepening the humanitarian crisis.

The discussion around these environmental atrocities extends to legal considerations, with international law scholars debating the classification of such acts under the frameworks of ecocide and war crimes. The Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute provide legal grounds for investigating and potentially prosecuting deliberate actions leading to long-term, severe environmental damage during the conflict.

This crisis underscores a critical facet of modern warfare—the ecological dimension. As Gaza grapples with the compounded challenges of conflict, displacement, and now ecological collapse, the international community faces pressing questions about accountability, environmental justice, and the long-term viability of war-torn regions.

Amidst the ruins, the people of Gaza and environmental advocates call for urgent action to address the ecocide and safeguard the future of the territory and its inhabitants, advocating for peace, restoration, and a commitment to protecting the planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems from the ravages of war.