Palestinian authority highlights environmental devastation caused by Israeli bombings in Gaza

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority reported that since October 2023, the Israeli military has dropped over 85,000 tons of bombs, including white phosphorus, on the Gaza Strip, exceeding the total explosives dropped during World War II.

In its statement marking the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict on November 6, established by the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority highlighted the extensive environmental damage caused by the ongoing Israeli bombings, noting that “the continuous airstrikes have destroyed vast agricultural lands and contaminated soil with toxic chemicals, which will hinder agriculture for decades.”

The authority emphasized that “Israel's use of various weapons, including internationally banned white phosphorus, is causing severe environmental harm, threatening human life and wildlife. The attacks have also damaged vital water infrastructure, contaminating groundwater, posing a long-term health and environmental catastrophe for hundreds of thousands of people.”

Regarding the West Bank, the statement pointed to the environmental dangers posed by Israeli settlements and military training, which are leading to the confiscation, leveling, and destruction of large areas of land, as well as overgrazing. These actions, it added, “also damage water resources and pollute the air, exacerbating environmental degradation. Settlements are reportedly releasing around 40 million cubic meters of untreated sewage annually into Palestinian land.”

The Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority called on the United Nations and the international community to take urgent action to halt the ongoing aggression, prevent the use of the environment for military purposes, and enforce international laws.