The UN has warned that 95 percent of Gaza’s agricultural land has been rendered unusable by Israeli attacks, further exacerbating the risk of famine in the territory.
A new joint assessment released on Tuesday by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) found that over 80 percent of Gaza’s crop land has been damaged by Israeli attacks.
According to the report, only 4.6 percent of it can be cultivated, while 71.2 percent of Gaza’s greenhouses and 82.8 percent of agricultural wells have been laid to waste by Israeli attacks.
The FAO said that Israel’s targeting of agricultural infrastructure in the territory risked “further deteriorating food production capacity and exacerbating the risk of famine”.
Beth Bechdol, FAO’s deputy director-general, warned that the destruction could precipitate the “collapse of Gaza’s agri-food system and of lifelines”.
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She stated: “What once provided food, income, and stability for hundreds of thousands is now in ruins. With cropland, greenhouses, and wells destroyed, local food production has ground to a halt.
“Rebuilding will require massive investment, and a sustained commitment to restore both livelihoods and hope.”
The study comes weeks after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported that famine is imminent in Gaza amid the ongoing total Israeli blockade since 2 March, which has severely restricted food and medical aid into the territory.
According to the IPC’s analysis, half a million people in Gaza are facing “catastrophic” hunger from May to September, with over one million at “emergency” levels.
Under international pressure to ease its siege, Israel has permitted limited humanitarian aid to enter the Strip, however relief organisations say that aid has so far failed to reach Gaza’s starving population.
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the controversial US-backed private humanitarian organisation, said it will begin distributing aid in the besieged enclave on Monday, after the sudden resignation of its executive director.
The organisation has received fierce criticism from UN officials, who had said its aid distribution plans, initiated by Israel and only involving private companies, would foster displacement of Palestinians and more violence.
While GHF reported that truckloads of food has been delivered to its hubs and distribution had begun, Palestinians in Gaza said that there had been no sign of aid reaching the territory.