A whole year of environmental destruction in the region renders any environmental talks or campaigns mere nonsense. The significant and ongoing environmental damages of what the occupying entity has been doing in Gaza for the past 12 months, and what it is currently doing in Lebanon, could reach the entire planet and the region in particular, akin to what fossil fuels and plastic could do for years. These result in catastrophic effects on the region as a whole, as well as on the ecosystems of the Mediterranean, and vital infrastructure, directly threatening the health and lives of the people of Gaza and Lebanon.
The Israeli army observes the “scorched earth policy” to destroy what it cannot occupy, including land, crops, natural resources, and infrastructure, notwithstanding the environmental impact that extends to the areas it controls, and expands to encompass the entire region.
Land:
1- Military operations have led to soil contamination with heavy metals such as lead and mercury, along with toxic chemicals, causing soil infertility and chronic diseases including cancer.
2- Military operations in Gaza have destroyed over 42% of agricultural and arable lands in Gaza, with the United Nations estimating losses from these damages at nearly 629 million USD until June 2024.
3- Military operations have destroyed nearly 90% of olive tree agricultural lands in various areas of the Gaza Strip, depriving the people of Gaza of olive harvesting for the second consecutive year. Olive trees take at least five years to bear fruit. The destruction of olive trees affects the environmental balance, increases desertification, and negatively impacts biodiversity, not to mention the economic aspect and the population’s reliance on the crop.
4- The Israeli crimes have turned Gaza’s land into dangerously polluted land, affecting health and destroying the food security of the area, thus its dependence on food aid post-war for long decades, indicating that the war of starvation continues even after the war of arms. Additionally, all what is happening to Gaza’s land has a direct impact on the environmental balance of the region, including lands under the Israeli control.
Water:
57% of water facilities, including desalination plants, wells, and water networks, have been destroyed, leading to a severe water shortage.
Over 162 wells have been destroyed, in addition to the 3 main water desalination plants in Gaza, resulting in a loss of 95% of the water production capacity in Gaza Strip and estimated losses of 503 million USD.
Groundwater contamination with heavy metals and chemicals resulting from military operations renders 97% of water in Gaza undrinkable for humans, animals, or irrigation. According to the World Health Organization, nitrate levels are 6 times higher than the permissible limit. Cases of waterborne diseases, such as diarrhea and hepatitis, have indeed increased due to water pollution.
Pollution from sewage water and chemicals leads to groundwater contamination.
The collapse of sewage treatment networks has led to the discharge of 60,000 cubic meters of untreated water daily into the Mediterranean Sea, causing pollution and destruction of marine habitats. Estimates indicate that 25% of the sea water near Gaza has become contaminated with harmful bacteria and heavy metals. Pollution can be carried through marine currents to neighboring countries in the Mediterranean Sea, such as Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece, threatening water quality and fish resources in these countries. Moreover, Israel heavily relies on sea water desalination plants that it pollutes, endangering everyone’s lives.
Air Pollution:
1- Continuous bombing, explosions, and airborne dust from the rubble have led to the release of thousands of tons of fine particles and chemicals into the air, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and toxic particles such as asbestos.
2- The number of fires due to the aggression from October 2023 to only January 2024 reached 165 fires, including 19 in industrial areas, resulting in air pollution with toxic chemicals.
3- This pollution poses a significant risk to the respiratory health of the population, especially with continued inhalation of fine particles. Hospitals have witnessed a 300% increase in respiratory diseases and asthma cases during the first three months of the aggression alone, affecting over 179,000 individuals, including children and the elderly.
4- The total rubble generated by military attacks has exceeded 39.2 million tons, equivalent to over 10 pyramids of Giza. This quantity also covers more than 365 square kilometers, the total area of Gaza, with a height exceeding one meter of rubble, which is 13 times more than the total rubble resulting from all previous wars since 2008. The rubble contains hazardous materials including over 800,000 tons of potential asbestos and unexploded ordnance (UXOs). Airborne dust poses a respiratory hazard, especially with the presence of toxic substances. These materials will continue to pose a health risk to the population for decades to come.
5- Approximately 1,100 to 1,200 tons of waste accumulate daily in the affected areas, including 400 tons daily in displacement sites alone. Over 1.5 tons of contaminated medical waste are left untreated every day in hospitals, increasing the risk of spreading infectious diseases and hazardous chemicals. With waste transportation issues unresolved, residents resort to burning waste outdoors, further complicating the issue of air pollution.
6- Air pollution spreads to neighboring countries with the wind, including territories under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Greece.
7- Toxic gases emissions and fine particles resulting from destruction may contribute to rising temperatures, and exacerbate the effects of climate change in the Mediterranean region, contributing to global climate change.
It is worth mentioning that the above information is the latest recorded data, not to mention the damages that are yet undocumented, or the updated damages caused by the failure of the international community to stop the year-long ongoing genocide.
The environmental impact of the war on Gaza requires a rapid and comprehensive intervention to protect the population and the environment in the short and long term. The international community has to take urgent measures to provide support and assistance in rebuilding the environmental infrastructure and enhancing the protection of natural resources.
In a related context in Lebanon, the Israeli use of internationally-prohibited white phosphorus bombs has been confirmed. According to the Arab Non-Governmental Organizations Network for Development (ANND), the use of phosphorus bombs in southern Lebanon over the past months has caused significant damage to food security, agricultural lands, forests, livestock, and biodiversity, in addition to economic, social, and human losses. White phosphorus bombs have sparked 683 fires, ranging in size, resulting in the destruction and damage of agricultural lands. Reports also indicate the burning of 47,000 olive trees, extensive damage to large numbers of pine and cedar trees, the deaths of around 340,000 birds and 970 livestock, and the destruction of 91 agricultural tents and 310 beehives. Additionally, the leakage of white phosphorus into rivers and groundwater layers extends the geographical and temporal lethal impact.
What has happened and continues to happen falls under “Ecocide,” a word composed of two parts: the first derived from the Greek word “oikos,” meaning house, and the second from the Latin word “cadere,” meaning to kill, thus the word means “killing the house”. The term thus means causing serious harm, destruction, or loss to the ecological system of a specific region by human action. This definition has been included in the proposal submitted to the United Nations’ legal committe with the aim of amending the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to include ecocide as a fifth crime against peace. Environmental institutions and activists worldwide suggest including “ecocide” as a crime alongside the four international crimes stipulated in the ICC basic statute: crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide, and aggression. All of these crimes apply to the Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon and wherever may follow thereafter.
References:
1- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), “Environmental Impact of the Conflict in Gaza: Preliminary Assessment of Environmental Impacts”, 18 June 2024.
2- Al-Najjar, Zahraa. “Israel exacerbates the climate change crisis and threatens the lives of citizens in Southern Lebanon”, Arab Non-Governmental Organizations Network for Development (ANND), 30 July 2024.
3- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), “Gaza War: Preliminary Findings on the Socio-Economic and Environmental Impact on Lebanon”, 18 December 2023.
