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Gaza‘S Water, cleanliness, And energy systems are on the verge of complete collapse after almost two years war, and As residents start returningThere may be environmental damage to the area recovery A new report warns that this is impossible without urgent action.
Analysts said Gaza’s ecosystems Devastated by bombing, crop lands and water systems have been almost completely destroyed, leaving two million people at constant risk of humanitarian crisis.
Thousands of displaced Gazans begin returning to their remaining homes ceasefire It was announced this week between israel And Hamashowever, Study According to estimates released on Wednesday by the Arava Institute, 69 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure has been damaged. It warned that environmental degradation now threatens public health, food security and regional stability.
The report said that as malnutrition rates have increased to 10 times pre-conflict levels, satellite imagery showed that by March 2025, about 80 percent of all crop land in Gaza was either damaged or destroyed.
“Intensive military activities, such as the movement of heavy machinery, compaction, erosion and destruction of fertile topsoil, making it difficult for vegetation to grow,” the report said.
It says this waste of fertile land is a “serious damage” to the region’s ability to feed itself.
“Gaza’s environment is in crisis – poisoned water, ruined crop lands and a broken electricity grid are putting the region at risk,” said Dr. David Lehrer, director of practical environmental diplomacy at the Arava Institute.
“What we are seeing is not just a humanitarian catastrophe but an ecological collapse that jeopardizes the possibility of recovery.”
The report said local Israeli security measures in Gaza’s coastal waters have made fishing activities “almost impossible since the beginning of the conflict”, killing 120 people. fishermen And many were forced to fish “dangerously close to the shore”.
Independent The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been contacted for comment.
The report said 93 per cent of households now face water insecurity, with per capita availability down to 8.4 liters per day – well below the World Health Organisation’s emergency minimum of 15 litres.
All waste water treatment plants have stopped working, forcing raw water feces into temporary lagoons, which threaten to overflow roads and into people’s homes, and may seep into the shared coastal aquifer, the region’s main groundwater source.
Nearly half of households report sewage or stagnant water within 10 meters of their shelters, increasing the risk of outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases that could spread beyond Gaza’s borders.
Power generation capacity has also declined by more than 80 percent, with power cuts lasting up to 22 hours a day. Due to Gaza’s collapsed central electricity grid, fossil fuel generators, particularly diesel, remain the primary source of electricity for humanitarian operations in Gaza.
The Arava Institute report proposes a phased, community-based strategy to rebuild Gaza’s essential systems, starting with localized, off-grid water, energy and food networks.
Its “absorbing” phase focuses on immediate humanitarian needs such as emergency shelter and water access. The “adaptive” phase emphasizes decentralized power and wastewater treatment, while the “transformative” phase calls for restoring ecosystems, incorporating climate resilience into urban planning, and creating joint regional governance mechanisms for shared resources.
Technologies already piloted in Gaza include solar-powered microgrids, biofiltration wastewater systems, atmospheric water generators, and construction materials made from recycled debris known as greencake blocks.
This report has been released a few days after the ceasefire agreement brokered by the US President. donald trump The two-year-long war between Israel and Hamas ended. World leaders meeting in Egypt this week hailed the ceasefire as a first step towards rebuilding Gaza, although key details – including how the territory will be managed – remain unresolved.
The World Bank, the United Nations and the European Union estimated earlier this year that Gaza’s reconstruction would cost about $53 billion. Rich Arab states are expected to help with that cost, although the roadmap is vague, saying the biggest challenge lies not only in construction but also in restoring basic services and public trust. The Arava Institute authors said environmental remediation should also be considered an integral part of that process, not an afterthought.
“Waiting for politics to escalate is not an option,” Dr. Lehrer said. “Recovery must start now, with community-driven solutions that can restore land, water and air.”
The report urges governments, international donors and aid agencies to align funding with a locally-led approach, warning that rebuilding damaged infrastructure without addressing pollution and ecosystem collapse will trap Gaza in a cycle of crisis.