Palestine, renowned for its ancient, terraced hillsides, fertile plains, bountiful olive trees and diverse ecosystems, is facing ecocide. Ecocide, which is the deliberate and systematic destruction of ecosystems, is a weapon of displacement and control. The environmental degradation, a consequence of ecocide, threatens the well-being of the land and the people living in it. This article is the third in a four-part series examining the intertwined histories of genocide and resilience in Palestine and Connecticut, setting the stage to explore how environmental degradation is woven into this story of dispossession.
Water scarcity lies at the heart of Palestine’s ecological crisis and serves as a primary and calculated tool of ecocide. Water resources are restricted by Israel, severely limiting Palestinian access. The Mountain Aquifer, the only underground water source in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT), is exploited disproportionately by Israel, which extracts more than 80% of its supply. Palestinians are left with only a fraction of the resource — far below the daily minimum recommended by the World Health Organization.
Access to surface water from the Jordan River has been completely denied to Palestinians since 1967. This loss not only deprives communities of water for agriculture and daily needs. Increased groundwater salinity levels directly harm coastal agriculture and reduce the products that can be grown under new agricultural conditions and erodes the natural and cultural connection to the river, which has historically been vital to the region’s ecosystems and economies.
In Gaza, the situation is even more catastrophic. The southern end of the Coastal Aquifer, Gaza’s sole water resource, is over-extracted, depleted and contaminated by seawater and sewage infiltration. 90-95% of Gaza’s water is now undrinkable, leaving residents dependent on costly bottled water or desalination plants, which are inaccessible to many due to economic and infrastructural challenges. The inability to transfer water from the West Bank to Gaza, imposed by Israeli restrictions, renders Gaza one of the most water-stressed regions in the world.
Agriculture, the backbone of Palestinian livelihoods, has been devastated by environmental degradation. The destruction of agricultural land and infrastructure in Gaza is a deliberate act of ecocide and a critical dimension of Israel’s campaign of systemic dispossession. Farms and greenhouses — lifelines of food production for Gaza’s population — have been systematically targeted, depriving communities of both sustenance and economic stability. As of Sept. 1, 2024, 67.6 percent of Gaza’s cropland has been damaged by the ongoing genocide. The loss of arable land due to bombing and bulldozing, combined with contamination from toxic debris, has resulted in a severe decline in agricultural output.
This devastation is compounded by other acts of resource deprivation, including the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid, medical infrastructure, cultural monuments and more. Furthermore, the systematic uprooting of olive trees has left the soil barren and biodiversity disrupted. Since 1967 some 800,000 olive trees have been uprooted by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank alone. Their destruction not only causes immediate economic loss but also erodes the intergenerational knowledge tied to traditional farming practices.
According to a recent UNEP assessment, the ongoing genocide has generated over 39 million tons of debris — contaminated with hazardous materials such as asbestos, industrial waste and unexploded ordnance. This debris not only poses risks to human health but also disrupts soil fertility and pollutes water sources. Additionally, the use of munitions with heavy metals and the destruction of solar panels have exacerbated soil and water contamination. Coastal wetlands and biodiversity hotspots, such as the Wadi Gaza, have also suffered irreparable harm. These ecological impacts are not collateral damage; they represent a systematic dismantling of natural and human infrastructure, leaving the population increasingly vulnerable to disease, food insecurity and long-term environmental instability.
The systematic environmental degradation in Gaza – this ecocide – is a tool of genocide. By destroying vital resources like farmland, water sources and greenhouses, this deliberate destruction ensures that Palestinians cannot return to their land or rebuild their communities. The loss of these resources disrupts not only their ability to sustain themselves physically but also severs their cultural and historical connection to the land. In effect, this ecocide is a key weapon in the genocidal strategy to ethnically cleanse Palestinians, effectively attempting to erase them as people.