The environmental destruction of Gaza
Samia Alduaij
The past 19 months have unfolded as one of the most brutal acts of environmental and human destruction in modern history, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Gaza. The sheer scale of devastation in this besieged enclave transcends immediate humanitarian catastrophe — it is ecological warfare, or ecocide, by design. From the systematic targeting of infrastructure to the widespread contamination of soil and water, Gaza has been transformed into a wasteland, where nature and life are equally under siege.
Having worked in international development and environmental assessments across the region, I've seen firsthand how conflict distorts ecosystems. My work with The World Bank in Lebanon following the 2006 oil spill was a sobering experience — an oil slick contaminating 150 km of Mediterranean coastline due to Israeli airstrikes. But Gaza is a different scale altogether: Not just an oil spill, but a complete unraveling of human and environmental systems.
As of January, more than 80 percent of Gaza's water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed. All six wastewater treatment plants have been bombed, and over 1,025 miles of water pipes reduced to rubble. Every day, over 100,000 cubic meters of raw sewage flow into the Mediterranean, devastating marine life and threatening coastal nations.
Before the war, 97 percent of Gaza's water was already unfit for human consumption. Now, communities have access to only 7 percent of their pre-war water supply. Israel's bombardments have destroyed desalination plants, water wells and distribution networks, and the March blockade further strangled access to essential water services. The environmental implications are profound — salinization, groundwater depletion and diseases spreading through contaminated water.
The carbon cost of this war is staggering. The emissions generated by Israeli military operations in Gaza have already surpassed the annual carbon footprint of 230 climate-vulnerable nations. And yet, Israel brands itself as a green, vegan-friendly, tech-savvy utopia — a grotesque example of environmental hypocrisy.
Israel has managed to successfully greenwash its image, even as it siphoned off Gaza's groundwater for kibbutzes situated just across the border — some of the same kibbutzes that were attacked on October 7. These communities, ironically marketed as models of sustainable agriculture, irrigate their lawns and farms with stolen water. This is water apartheid in its most brazen form. Israelis consume an average of 300 liters per day; in Gaza, it was just 26 liters per day before the war. Now, it is far less. Gaza's aquifers are systematically overdrawn, contaminated and inaccessible to its own population.
Agricultural collapse is another front of this ecocide. More than 83 percent of plant cover and 48 percent of tree cover have been obliterated. An estimated 75 percent of Gaza's 1.3 million olive trees have been destroyed. These are not just trees — they are anchors of food security, economic livelihood and cultural heritage. Over 7,500 greenhouses and 2,000 agricultural sites have been decimated. This is an intentional erasure of Gaza's food sovereignty.
Toxic weapons, including white phosphorus, have further poisoned the soil. The Strip is buried under millions of tons of rubble containing asbestos, heavy metals and radioactive particles. These will continue leaching into the air and water for generations. The long-term health effects are already being felt. There are documented cases of polio resurgence and children born with severe deformities, including one without a brain. This is not collateral damage. This is deliberate biological and environmental warfare.
Even before the war, Gaza's environment was suffocating under the strain of blockade, overpopulation, and occupation. But the current destruction has pushed it into the realm of total collapse. This is not just a humanitarian crisis — it is an ecological one that threatens regional stability.
Ecocide must be recognized as a crime under international law. Gaza offers a textbook example of why. When the environment is weaponized, it becomes not just a casualty of war, but a stage for annihilation. The world must acknowledge this environmental warfare — not as an unfortunate side effect of conflict, but as a core strategy of occupation and control. Gaza is not just dying — it is being systematically erased, root by root, aquifer by aquifer.
This is a war not just on people, but on the land.
NOTE: Samia Alduaij is an environmental specialist who has worked for the UN and the World Bank. She is one of the founders of Sustainable Living Kuwait, a local initiative that promotes sustainable living solutions.
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