NAIROBI, Kenya- The ongoing conflict in Gaza has resulted in unprecedented levels of soil, water, and air pollution, severely damaging sanitation systems and leaving behind extensive debris from explosive devices, according to a United Nations report on the environmental impact of the war released on Tuesday, June 18.
The report from the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) indicates that Israel’s recent offensive has undone significant progress in several key areas, including water desalination, wastewater treatment, the restoration of the Wadi Gaza coastal wetland, and investments in solar power installations.
According to UNEP’s preliminary assessment, the use of explosive weapons has generated approximately 39 million tons of debris.
This equates to more than 107 kilograms (236 lbs) of debris per square meter across the Gaza Strip, a figure that surpasses the debris levels seen during the 2017 battle for Mosul, Iraq, by more than five times.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen stated, “All of this is deeply harming people’s health, food security, and Gaza’s resilience.”
Prior to the latest conflict, Gaza’s environment was already under significant strain due to recurring conflicts, rapid urban growth, and high population density.
The U.N. assessment underscores the worsening humanitarian crisis and the broader environmental consequences of war, drawing parallels to the extensive ecological damage recorded in Ukraine over the past two years.
“Understanding the environmental impacts of war is a grand challenge of our time,” commented Eoghan Darbyshire, a senior researcher at the UK-based nonprofit Conflict and Environment Observatory. “The impacts will not only be felt locally where the fighting is taking place, but may be displaced or even felt at the global scale via greenhouse gas emissions.”
Devastation of Basic Sanitation Systems
The U.N. assessment, requested in December 2023 by the Palestinian Environment Quality Authority, involved remote sensing surveys and data from Palestinian technical entities and the World Bank.
Due to security concerns and access restrictions, ground measurements were not feasible, though they are deemed critical for a comprehensive understanding of soil and water pollution, according to Darbyshire.
The report found that water, sanitation, and hygiene systems in Gaza are now almost entirely non-functional.
All five of Gaza’s wastewater treatment plants have been shut down. Prior to this, Israel’s long-term occupation had already created significant environmental challenges in Palestinian territories, particularly concerning water quality and availability, as highlighted in a 2020 U.N. Development Programme report.
Over 92% of water in the Gaza Strip was previously deemed unfit for human consumption.
The region also boasted one of the highest densities of rooftop solar panels globally, with an estimated 12,400 rooftop solar systems in 2023, according to the U.S.-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
However, a large proportion of Gaza’s solar infrastructure has now been destroyed, with broken panels potentially leaking lead and heavy metal contaminants into the soil.
Since a week-long truce in November, efforts to establish a permanent ceasefire have failed.
The Palestinian group Hamas demands an end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on continuing the conflict until Hamas is eradicated and hostages taken during the October 7 attack are freed.
