The environmental and health damage in Gaza as a result of the war is extensive, and the recovery period may be painful and long.

The health and environmental suffering of the people of the Gaza Strip continues in light of the catastrophic conditions that threaten the increase of epidemics and infectious and fatal diseases, as a result of the accumulation of waste and water pollution, in the face of a complete failure of the health system in the Strip after the Zionist occupation destroyed all the components of life in the region.

Tents and displacement areas are overcrowded:

Fleeing the recent Israeli bombardment, some 1.7 million of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced from their homes inside the Strip. Today, nearly a million of them are sheltering in buildings run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in all governorates of the Strip. Some families have set up tents outside the shelters. Although these schools are facilities that are not only immune from international humanitarian law but also enjoy additional immunities and privileges as UN facilities, they have not been spared from direct and indirect targeting by the Israeli occupation, which has left a number of martyrs and wounded.

Urgent need for more aid:

The Gaza Strip has been under a land, air and sea blockade since Hamas took power in 2007, which has been tightened by Israel, cutting off water, electricity and food supplies since the start of the aggression on October 7.
The rate of entry of humanitarian supplies from Egypt into Gaza, despite its improvement during the seven-day truce, remains weak, while at least 100 trucks of aid are needed daily, according to UN estimates of the needs of the Strip.

Hospital collapse:

With most of them out of service, no hospital in northern Gaza is currently functioning normally, either due to the intensity of the bombing or the lack of fuel and medical equipment.
The airstrikes and shortages of medical supplies have strained the already under-resourced health system in the Strip. Doctors have been forced to perform surgeries without general anesthesia or administer first aid to the wounded on hospital floors and in corridors due to the huge number of patients and displaced civilians seeking shelter. Vulnerable groups such as chronic patients, mothers and newborns are also at particular risk in these tragic circumstances.

Catastrophic environmental situation:

The suffering of Gaza residents with environmental pollution is not new, but it has been greatly exacerbated by the ongoing war.
In this context, the head of the World Environment Party believes that inhaling air polluted by shells and missiles will cause serious environmental damage in the short and long term. He also pointed to the serious threat of the spread of diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, hepatitis and even polio, as well as organ damage and even death.
In addition to the medical waste in Gaza that remains untreated, which could lead to the spread of more diseases and epidemics.
A statement issued by the Environmental Quality Authority on the occasion of the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War stressed that “the dropping of shells and explosives leads to a major imbalance in the geological structure that could worsen the situation regarding groundwater in the Gaza Strip and the resulting production of large quantities of demolition waste and its mixing with hazardous materials resulting from the shells.”

The occupation did not stop at using the policy of destruction, killing and genocide against innocent Palestinians, but it also deliberately prevented the entry of fuel of all kinds and the necessary mechanisms for transporting waste and operating sewage and water desalination plants, after the fresh water mixed with sewage.
According to the health authorities in the Strip, the group most at risk of certain death are those with chronic diseases, the elderly, pregnant women and newborns, whose suffering is worsening daily, in light of the shortage of medicines and the destruction of hospitals, especially in the Gaza Strip and the North.
The health authorities in the Strip added that the occupation forces are deliberately targeting and still targeting the health system and putting what remains of it out of service, while continuing to prevent the arrival of medicines, medical devices and equipment and fuel needed to operate hospitals, which increases the risk to the lives of patients and the wounded and doubles their suffering, which has led to the martyrdom of many of them.
What has exacerbated the suffering of the people of Gaza is the accumulation of large quantities of solid waste estimated at about 100 thousand tons and the leakage of sewage water into the streets, which has caused pollution of the groundwater reservoir and the spread of mosquitoes, harmful insects and foul odors, which threatens to cause serious and unprecedented health and environmental disasters, according to what was confirmed by reports and health sources in the region.

The situation in the Gaza Strip has gone beyond catastrophe:

The Director General of the Media Office in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Al-Thawabtah, confirmed that the health and environmental situation in the Strip has far exceeded the disaster, stressing that the occupation is deliberately exacerbating the humanitarian and health crisis, after destroying all the necessities of life in the region.
Al-Thawabtah explained, in his talk to the Palestinian media about the extent of the disaster, that the occupation army has targeted 15 vital sectors since the beginning of the war, including health, infrastructure and municipalities, and destroyed more than 400 water wells, putting them out of service with the aim of depriving the Palestinian people of water, similar to the starvation policy it practiced in Gaza City, north of the Strip.
He continued by saying that “the lack of water in the Strip has caused several problems, especially in terms of cleanliness and health, not to mention the occupation’s destruction of 600 thousand linear meters of water networks, streets and intersections.”
The occupation did not stop there, but rather worked to destroy thousands of kilometers of sewage networks, which caused sewage to overflow into the streets and neighborhoods, and thus the spread of diseases and epidemics among citizens.
Al-Thawabta added that the occupation army also deliberately destroyed municipal headquarters and vehicles, which led to the accumulation of waste in the streets and near shelters, which caused 20,000 citizens to contract hepatitis.
According to the director of the media office, 1,094,000 cases of infectious diseases were recorded among Palestinian citizens, especially the displaced, such as skin diseases, meningitis, intestinal infections, and respiratory diseases.
According to Al-Thawabta, the health sector is one of the first sectors that the occupation has targeted extensively since the beginning of the brutal aggression on the Strip, as it destroyed and burned 32 hospitals out of 35, putting them out of service, assassinated more than 400 doctors and nurses, and arrested more than 310 doctors and medical staff, which led to the complete collapse of the health system.
Al-Thawabta pointed out that the occupation is still preventing the entry of medicines into the Strip, and there are 10,000 cancer patients who do not receive the necessary medical care, in addition to 350,000 patients suffering from chronic diseases and in need of medicines.
The presence of thousands of bodies of martyrs in temporary mass graves and under the rubble of homes and their decomposition is another source of great concern due to the spread of epidemics and diseases, which threatens public health and the environment.
In light of this situation, which has gone beyond being described as catastrophic, Al-Thawabat appealed to all countries of the world and international and UN organizations to take a firm and urgent stance to bring in medicines and more than 14 field hospitals to all governorates of the Strip, to compensate for the hospitals that the occupation destroyed during its ongoing war.
He said in the context, “We have launched many appeals and demands to all international organizations and countries of the world in this regard, but the occupation prevents the entry of fuel and medicine to the northern Gaza Strip, as part of the war of genocide and ethnic cleansing.”
The director of the media office in the Gaza Strip called for the need to stop the aggression urgently, holding the US administration fully responsible for its involvement in the crime of genocide and providing weapons to the occupation.
He added that the international community also bears responsibility for its failure more than once to stop this destructive aggression, calling on the countries of the free world and all international institutions to take serious and immediate action to pressure the unjust occupation authorities to stop the bloodshed of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

A preliminary assessment published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 18 June 2024 indicated that the environmental impacts of the war in Gaza are unprecedented, exposing the community to rapidly worsening soil, water and air pollution and the risk of irreversible damage to its natural ecosystems. UNEP reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire to protect lives and ultimately help mitigate the environmental impacts of the conflict.

“Not only are the people of Gaza facing unimaginable suffering from the ongoing war, but the extensive and growing environmental damage in Gaza threatens to leave them with painful and lengthy recovery programmes,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “While many questions remain about the type and quantity of pollutants affecting Gaza’s environment, the people of Gaza are already living with the consequences of conflict-related damage to environmental management systems and pollution today. Water and sanitation systems have been destroyed. Vital infrastructure continues to be damaged. Coastal areas, soils and ecosystems have been severely affected. All of these consequences severely compromise people’s health, food security and Gaza’s resilience,” she added.

“We urgently need a ceasefire to save lives, repair the environment, and enable Palestinians to begin to recover from the effects of the conflict and rebuild their lives and livelihoods in Gaza.”

For decades, the environment in Gaza has faced degradation and pressures that have affected its ecosystems, as a result of recurring conflicts, rapid urban expansion, high population density, political conditions, and the region’s vulnerability to climate change.

The initial assessment conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme concludes that:

Undermining recent, if limited, progress in environmental management systems in Gaza, including the development of desalination and wastewater treatment facilities, rapid growth in the use of solar energy, and investments in coastal wetland restoration in the Gaza Valley.

An estimated 39 million tons of debris are generated – there is currently more than 107 kg of debris per square meter in the Gaza Strip. This is more than five times the amount generated during the 2017 conflict in Mosul, Iraq. The debris poses risks to human health and the environment, ranging from dust and contamination from unexploded ordnance to asbestos, industrial and medical waste, and other hazardous materials. Human remains buried under the rubble must be handled sensitively and appropriately. Rubble removal will be a massive and complex task and must begin as soon as possible to enable other recovery and reconstruction programmes to begin.

Water, sanitation and hygiene systems are almost completely disrupted. The conflict has shut down Gaza’s five wastewater treatment plants, contaminating beaches, coastal waters, soil and freshwater with sewage containing a range of pathogens, nutrients, microplastics and hazardous chemicals. This poses immediate and long-term threats to the health of Gaza’s population, marine life and arable land.

The solid waste management system has been severely damaged. Five out of six solid waste management facilities in Gaza have been damaged. By November 2023, 1,200 tons of garbage were accumulating daily around camps and shelters. The shortage of cooking gas has forced households to burn wood, plastics and waste instead of cooking gas, putting women and children in particular at risk. This, combined with fires and fuel burning, is likely to lead to a sharp decline in air quality in Gaza, although open source data on air quality in Gaza is not available.

The deployment of munitions containing heavy metals and explosive chemicals in densely populated areas of Gaza, contaminating soil and water sources, and posing a risk to human health that will persist long after the cessation of hostilities. Unexploded ordnance poses a particularly serious risk to children.

The destruction of the solar panels is expected to leak lead and other heavy metals, causing a new type of risk to the soil and water in Gaza.

Hamas’s tunnel system and Israel’s efforts to destroy it may contribute to further environmental damage. Depending on the tunnel construction standards and the extent of their flooding, the initial assessment warns of long-term risks to human health from groundwater contamination and buildings being built on potentially unstable ground surfaces.

Given the current security situation and access restrictions, the initial assessment is based on remote sensing assessments, data from Palestinian technical entities, consultations with multilateral partners, previously unpublished material from UN field activity, and scientific literature.

The evaluation supervisors believe that addressing the immediate and chronic environmental challenges in Gaza is essential to the health of its population and must be integrated into recovery and reconstruction plans. Environmental analysis, including assessment of munitions contamination and other forms of conflict-related contamination, should be an integral part of recovery and reconstruction planning. The reconstruction of Gaza must also address the chronic environmental issues that existed before the war.

Once security conditions permit and access is granted, UNEP expects to conduct a field assessment of the extent and type of environmental degradation in Gaza. Recovery options will be developed in consultation with the scientific research community in Gaza, professionals in the public and private sectors, and civil society, including women and youth.

This initial assessment comes in response to an official request from the State of Palestine in December 2023. UNEP assists countries, upon request, in mitigating and controlling pollution in areas affected by armed conflict or terrorism, in accordance with UN Environment General Assembly resolutions, including resolutions 2/15, 3/1 and 6/12.