Damage to the farmland in Gaza and inability of farmers to reach their fields due to the ongoing conflict have reduced more than 95 percent of cropland unusable, worsening the local food production and escalating the risk of famine, according to a report released by the United Nations on Monday.
According to the report, by April of this year, 12,537 hectares of farmland in Gaza had been damaged, accounting for more than 80 percent of the total, and 77.8 percent of farmers cannot access their fields. Only 688 hectares, or 4.6 percent of Gaza's farmland, remain cultivable.
In Rafah of south Gaza and in northern Gaza, almost all agricultural land has been abandoned. The report also notes that 71.2 percent of greenhouses in Gaza have been damaged and 82.8 percent of agricultural wells have been destroyed.
Before the outbreak of the conflict in October 2023, agriculture accounted for about 10 percent of Gaza's economy, with more than 560,000 people relying on crop farming, livestock, or fishing for their livelihood.
Earlier this year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that agricultural losses in Gaza since the conflict exceeded 2 billion U.S. dollars, with recovery and reconstruction costs projected at around 4.2 billion U.S. dollars.
The protracted conflict also dealt a heavy blow to the medical resources in Gaza. On Monday, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region Hanan Balkhy, said that nearly 64 percent of Gaza's medical supplies had been depleted.
Balkhy also mentioned that 51 humanitarian aid trucks from WHO were waiting at Gaza's borders but had not yet received permission to enter the enclave.
95 pct of Gaza farmland unusable: UN report
95 pct of Gaza farmland unusable: UN report
95 pct of Gaza farmland unusable: UN report
