GENEVA: Less than 5% of Gaza’s cropland can be cultivated due to damage and access restrictions, “exacerbating the risk of famine in the area”, according to a UN assessment published on Monday.
“This level of destruction is not just a loss of infrastructure – it is a collapse of Gaza’s agrifood system and of lifelines,” said Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization which produced the assessment alongside the UN Satellite Centre.
Before the Israel-Hamas war began over 19 months ago, Gazan farmers cultivated a range of crops including citrus fruits, dates and olives, despite the area being among the most densely populated in the world.
Now, half a million people face starvation, according to a global hunger monitor, amid Israeli restrictions on food imports after an 11-week blockade.
In total, just 688 hectares, or 4.6% of the total, is available for cultivation, the UN assessment said.
Gaza rescuers say 52 killed in Israeli strikes, including 33 in a school
It showed that more than 80% of Gaza’s cropland had been damaged in the war. A total of 77.8% is not accessible, the statement said, based on a UN assessment of Israeli restricted sites and evacuation orders.
The report found that nearly three-quarters of greenhouses had been damaged in the war and over 80% of wells, according to the assessment based on high-resolution satellite imagery.
It described the situation as “particularly critical” in the southern area of Rafah and in the northern areas where nearly all cropland is inaccessible, the statement said.