Israel’s ecocide in Gaza sends this message: even if we stopped dropping bombs, you couldn’t live here

September 27, 2025

George Monbiot

While the destruction of buildings and infrastructure in Gaza is visible in every video we see, less visible is the parallel destruction of ecosystems and means of subsistence. Before the 7 October atrocity that triggered the current assault on Gaza, about 40% of its land was farmed. Despite its extreme population density, Gaza was mostly self-sufficient in vegetables and poultry, and met much of the population’s demand for olives, fruit and milk. But last month the UN reported that just 1.5% of its agricultural land now remains both accessible and undamaged. That’s roughly 200 hectares – the only remaining area directly available to feed more than 2 million people.

An Israeli tank on the northern border of Gaza, 28 May 2024. Photograph: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu/Getty Images