A report from an Israeli research institute highlights Gaza's emerging environmental crisis amid over two years of conflict. The territory now faces widespread pollution from rubble, sewage, and hazardous waste. Scientists warn that rebuilding could take decades, exacerbating health and ecological risks.
The conflict in Gaza, intensified since Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, has led to profound environmental damage. Over two years of bombardment by Israeli forces have killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, with at least a third being children—a toll described as genocide by human rights groups and a United Nations commission.
A new report from the Arava Institute, an environmental research center in Israel, estimates that Gaza is buried under 61 million tons of rubble containing asbestos, unexploded munitions, and unburied human remains. This has polluted soil and increased respiratory illnesses from bomb particulates. "The environmental situation in Gaza before October 7 was a disaster," said Tareq Abuhamed, the institute's Palestinian director. Rebuilding even to that pre-war state could take decades.
A United Nations report from late September pegs infrastructure damage at nearly $70 billion, with over 80 percent of cropland destroyed. Less than 10 percent of hazardous waste is safely managed, often burned or dumped in open landfills. Untreated wastewater flows onto land and into the sea, creating breeding grounds for disease vectors. "The garbage becomes mountains, and the mountains are a breeding site for mosquitos and rodents, which spread malaria," noted Yasser El-Nahhal, an environmental chemist at the Islamic University of Gaza.
Pre-existing challenges from 20 years of Israeli blockades, including limited access to water and electricity, have worsened. Doctors Without Borders reports that only one in ten requests for water imports is approved by Israeli authorities. El-Nahhal added, "The environment [was] destroyed before the war. But since the war, it has been destroyed several times above imagination."
Palestinian researcher Mazin Qumsiyeh labels the destruction ecocide, a term for widespread environmental harm. "Gaza was a functioning society... All of this was destroyed in this genocidal, ecocidal war," he said. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature recently resolved to treat ecocide as a crime, a view echoed by Jojo Mehta of Stop Ecocide International: "What’s been happening in terms of the environment in Gaza is horrific... it’s ecocidal."
Israeli officials did not respond to requests for comment. The Arava report urges unimpeded aid, potable water systems, and hygiene kits to curb disease. The UN emphasizes that recovery starts with halting hostilities, restoring services, and clearing debris. Despite repeated destruction, Qumsiyeh sees resilience: "Imagine your community being destroyed dozens of times, and you continue to rebuild. That shows an incredible amount of hopefulness."