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Join on Telegram Rabat – The Israeli Occupation Forces ongoing war on Gaza has driven nearly half a million residents into “catastrophic” levels of famine, with extensive agricultural losses exacerbating the crisis, according to UN humanitarian agencies.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported significant damage to greenhouses and farmland, particularly in Rafah and eastern Khan Younis, regions once pivotal for Gaza’s agricultural output.
The continuous IOF merciless war has forced many farmers to abandon their land, disrupting food systems and halting small-scale gardening that once diversified local diets.
The scarcity of seeds, fertilizers, and other essential inputs has further crippled agricultural production, raising fears of devastating consequences if the next planting season is missed.
“The implications of missing the upcoming agricultural season will be dire for local livelihoods,” warned OCHA in its latest situation report on Gaza.
Agriculture spans over 40 percent of Gaza’s land, contributing about 20 to 30 percent of daily food consumption.
A report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) highlighted “considerable” war-related damage to this sector, resulting in a near-total halt in the production of fresh, nutritious food.
Read also: 150,000 Palestinians Flee Khan Younès in a Single Day Amid Relentless Bombardments
The livelihoods of farmers, herders, and fishers have been severely undermined, slashing their income by up to 72 percent.
The FAO’s recent satellite analysis showed a continuous increase in damaged agricultural land, with over 57 percent affected as of May.
Orchards constitute more than half of this damaged land, with the rest used for vegetable gardening and cereal cultivation. Since January 2024, the area of damaged land has surged by 33 percent.
War-related pressures, such as heavy vehicle tracks, demolitions, and shelling, have severely impaired Gaza’s agricultural infrastructure. Nearly 33 percent of greenhouses, over 46 percent of wells, and more than 2,300 agricultural structures have been damaged by the IOF relentless bombardment.
Since mid-January, nearly 170,000 children and over 10,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women have been screened for malnutrition. Among them, 11,500 children were treated for acute malnutrition.
