95% of Gaza’s agricultural land unusable amid Israeli war, says UN

A new geospatial assessment from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows less than five percent of the Gaza Strip’s cropland is capable of being cultivated.

The joint assessment from the FAO and the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) described the situation as “alarming” on Monday.

The assessment found that more than 80 percent of Gaza’s total cropland has been damaged, while 77.8 percent of that land is now inaccessible to farmers.

Only 688 hectares (1,700 acres), or 4.6 percent of cropland, remains available for cultivation.

The destruction has extended to Gaza’s greenhouses and water sources, with 71.2 percent of greenhouses and 82.8 percent of agricultural wells also damaged.

The FAO further warned that the destruction of agricultural infrastructure amid Israel’s war on Gaza is “further deteriorating food production capacity and exacerbating the risk of famine”.

The UN agency said Israeli attacks on land, wells and greenhouses were exacerbating the already critical risk of famine in Gaza.