Gaza Ecocide: Environmental Destruction as a Weapon of War

Conflict seldom spares the environment. From inducing deforestation, using Agent Orange in the Vietnam War, to the deliberate burning of Kuwaiti oil fields in the Gulf War, the armies do not just fight the enemies; they fight the land as well. Gaza is no different: the strategic destruction of Gaza’s habitats at the hands of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) indicates a deliberate attack on the right to exist. The civilian lifelines in Gaza, including its agricultural fields and water systems, together with residential areas, remain irretrievably damaged. War-driven environmental destruction in Gaza breaches international humanitarian law (IHL) and requires worldwide response.

The present state demonstrates an ecocide that combines environmental deterioration with human suffering. The extent of destruction in Gaza is outrageous. The IDF airstrikes have produced roughly 50 million tonnes of debris accompanied by 54.5  million tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Apart from the wartime emissions, the reconstruction of Gaza is projected to leave a carbon footprint of 46.8-60 million tonnes, which is more than 135 countries’ annual emissions. Environmental contamination from debris spreading in Gaza combines unrecovered dead bodies, asbestos-contaminated rubble, and unexploded ordinances that damage the soil quality and create dangerous airborne pollutants.

Moreover, the farmlands and orchards were destroyed, and the unprecedented environmental harm set in a long-term catastrophe with a looming hunger crisis. IDF’s bombing operations destroyed 75% of Gaza’s cultivable land, which was followed by breaking down Gazan irrigation systems and soil-based pollution. Furthermore, heavy metals, including lead and tungsten, that are found in bomb debris destroy soil viability, poison plant and animal food chains, and limit the prospects of healthy future generations. With the absence of forage and the heightened nutritional needs of the Gazans, more than 95% of cattle have died.

Limiting the cultivability, the war contaminants have worsened Gaza’s already over-exploited, salinity-prone aquifer, which is now facing critical depletion. The Gaza water network, consisting of 1,700 km of water facilities, including wells, desalination systems, and treatment plants, was completely damaged, which decreased the availability of clean water to below 7% of its original volume before the war. Daily untreated wastewater from Gaza enters the Mediterranean Sea, which elevates the risk of coastal pollution and waterborne diseases.

The water resources contamination is manifesting as a full-blown public health emergency. The UN projected that Gaza is on the verge of a polio epidemic, evidenced by wastewater samples confirming the presence of the Circulating Variant type-2 Poliovirus.  The war-laden ecological destruction directly amplifies poverty and the healthcare crisis by trapping civilians in an escalating humanitarian disaster without any viable means of escape.

After the Gaza ecocide, the recovery efforts are being deliberately obstructed. The Israeli embargo on the entry of rubble-clearing heavy machinery, including cranes, bulldozers and excavators, while the war-ruined Gaza needs 500 units working full-time, further diminishes the hopes for a swift clearing of land and its restoration and reconstruction efforts.  The environmental damage that now seems planned and can result in civilian loss of necessities breaks down the basic ethical principles essential for humanitarian practices.

The Gaza ecocide’s consequences demand accountability. IHL mandates that the combatants in war must separately identify civilians from military personnel so they minimise attacks on critical civilian facilities. Undistinguished and widespread attacks against critical natural resources and infrastructure which support human survival go against the principle that requires proportional conduct in warfare. The Rome Statute uses “widespread, long-term, and severe damage to the natural environment” under article 8(2)(b)(iv), along with knowledge of civilian impact, as the basis for International Criminal Court violations.

According to counter-argumentations, the high urban density of Gaza combined with subterranean hideouts made ‘unintended’ environmental damage inevitable during IDF’s activities. However, the damage sustained by vital civilian infrastructure points to doubt over the random nature of the destruction in urban combat. Ground realities establish a troubling pattern of deliberate environmental harm that transcends what might be dismissed as “collateral damage.” The current episode of uncharted power used by the IDF upends civilian life today and sows the seeds of longstanding devastation for the generations to come.

A concerted global response is mandatory to not only just uphold the perpetrators but also restore Gaza’s compromised environment. Like the worldwide reckoning of the 1970s leading to the onset of a global environmental movement, the Gaza ecocide catalyses a renewed international commitment to recognise ecocide as a war crime. This recognition can not only limit the large-scale ecological destruction during the conflicts, but it can also act as a war deterrent in future. The peace agreement must contain an eco-reparative framework. The assessment of contamination levels and agricultural damage, by impartial international organisations using ground-level surveys, should follow remediation plans.

The international community should use Gaza as a test case to ensure that destroying human habitats and strategic environmental targets will not go unnoticed or unpunished.