- Israel’s assault has ‘completely damaged all elements of life’ and Gaza’s environmental situation is catastrophic, Butmeh tells Anadolu

- Israel’s ‘military operations in Gaza have disastrous consequences for the climate and environment,’ says David R Boyd, UN special rapporteur for human rights and environment

- There is ‘huge volumes of carbon pollution, air, water and soil pollution,’ while Palestinians are exposed to ‘a wide range of toxic substances,’ Boyd tells Anadolu

ISTANBUL

In 2015, Palestinian environmental engineer Abeer al-Butmeh and her organization found traces of many chemicals in Gaza’s agricultural lands.

This was because the previous year Israel had waged a 50-day war on Gaza, killing at least 2,251 Palestinians as it heavily bombarded the besieged enclave.

Al-Butmeh and her colleagues from the Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network – Friends of Earth Palestine (PENGON-FoE Palestine) carried out an environmental impact assessment in Gaza, which found that in many areas targeted by Israeli missiles and bombs had become “infertile and in need of intensive rehabilitation.”

They also found the air quality was largely degraded with particulate matter and even lead, while there were losses in the number of wild animals and birds.

Rodent, animal and insect infestations were widely found in several areas, and fishermen reported decreases in availability of some fish and an increase in others.

For water quality, the experts warned there would be heavy metal pollution in the future.

“We found that a high percentage of the agricultural areas became infertile for use. So, this attack contaminated the water, damaged the agriculture and biodiversity,” Butmeh told Anadolu in a video interview.

Ten years on, as Israel wages its deadliest assault on Gaza, the Palestinian activist fears there will be much more severe and long-lasting consequences for the enclave’s environment.

“The impact of this war will last for a very long time,” she said, speaking about Israel’s heavy use of weapons and artillery during its ongoing assault, deeming it the “cruelest one.”

According to estimates, Israel, which stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, has dropped more than 65,000 tons of explosives on Gaza since Oct. 7. It has killed more than 31,300 Palestinians, injured over 73,100 others and laid to waste vast swaths of the enclave.

“They’ve targeted Gaza heavily with bombs and other weapons. They use illegal and banned weapons like white phosphorus. So, they have completely damaged all elements of life,” said Butmeh.

The impact of these thousands of tons of chemicals penetrating the groundwater and soil will be unimaginable, she said.

The same warning came from David Boyd, the UN special rapporteur for human rights and environment, who told Anadolu that Israel’s “military operations in Gaza have disastrous consequences for the climate and environment.”

This includes “huge volumes of carbon pollution, air, water and soil pollution, and exposing Palestinians to a wide range of toxic substances,” he said.

There will also be severe repercussions from “the energy and materials used, and pollution and emissions generated in producing and using military vehicles and weapons,” he added.

Wide-ranging effects

Palestinians in Gaza always had very restricted access to agricultural lands, and the current Israeli assault is targeting these already limited resources, completely destroying olive trees, strawberry crops and agricultural farms, according to Butmeh.

UN official Boyd said “crops, fruit and nut and olive trees have been destroyed,” but added that they do not have concrete data on the matter.

Butmeh also spoke about the impact on marine life, explaining that chemicals are seeping into the sea and destroying the marine population.

Respiratory diseases will also likely increase because of all the chemicals and emissions, including white phosphorus, she warned.

Boyd pointed out that Israel has also laid waste to Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure.

“The result is a widespread shortage of potable water, violating Palestinians’ human rights to safe and sufficient water and adequate sanitation,” he said in an email to Anadolu.

“Some of the most common symptoms of illnesses from contaminated water include abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.”

Butmeh emphasized that the water situation in Gaza was already “catastrophic” before the latest Israeli assault, with almost 97% of its water unfit for human use.

The main water source for Gaza was the coastal aquifer and “the Israeli occupation controls the rainwater flow to feed this aquifer,” she said.

“So, the overconsumption of water from this water resource resulted in seawater penetration into this aquifer. Seawater penetrated this aquifer and people were left with salty water to drink,” she explained.

Now, with Israel having cut off all fuel, water, food and electricity, the water treatment plants are not working, so wastewater is flowing to the sea without treatment, she added.

“So, the wastewater is also penetrating the main water aquifer,” she said.

“Right now, most people depend on this same sea water in order to clean themselves and wash their clothes. Some people are drinking salty water.”

Impact of reconstruction

Butmeh said the reconstruction of Gaza will take more than a decade and will itself have a massive environmental impact.

With 80% of all housing either completely or partially destroyed, there will be a huge amount of construction waste, she explained.

Disposal of this construction waste will be a major challenge, as will the fact that there is a mix of medical waste and domestic solid waste, she added.

UN rapporteur Boyd also pointed out that “additional energy and materials are needed, and pollution and emissions generated in rebuilding infrastructure, from housing and commercial spaces to roads, schools, hospitals, water and sewage treatment plants and more.”

Assessments and accountability for ‘environmental crimes’

Butmeh and her organization PENGON-Foe Palestine are currently making efforts for a more in-depth environmental impact assessment in Gaza.

They have collected soil samples but have been unable to get them out of Gaza due to Israel’s complete blockade.

With Israel having damaged or destroyed all of Gaza’s universities, Butmeh said laboratory testing is not possible inside the enclave.

Once the Israeli assault ends, the organization aims to collect more water and air samples, she said, adding that comprehensive research is expected to last for three years.

In an email, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) confirmed to Anadolu that it has received “an official request from the State of Palestine to carry out an assessment of the environmental impacts of the conflict in Gaza.”

UNEP said this is “an exercise upon which we are embarking in coordination with other UN colleagues on the ground.”

For Butmeh, it is imperative that Israel be held accountable for its “environmental crimes” in the Gaza Strip.

“What is happening inside Gaza is ecocide and genocide,” she said.

“They violated different international laws … carried out different environmental crimes, and for sure, Israel should be held accountable for these environmental crimes.”​​​​​​​