These bombs have severely damaged environmental components, posing a grave threat to the health of humans and wildlife.
Israel’s military has dropped over 85,000 tonnes of bombs on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, exceeding the amount of explosives used in World War II, the Environmental Quality Authority has said.
In a statement issued to mark the UN International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, the Palestinian organization emphasized that “the ongoing Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip has led to the destruction of vast areas of agricultural land and the contamination of soil with toxic chemicals that will hinder farming for decades.”
'Israel' dropped over 85,000 tons of bombs on Gaza
Over 85,000 tons of Israeli bombs hit Gaza since October 7, surpassing WWII levels. Environmental damage, banned weapons, and water contamination threaten generations. pic.twitter.com/maPPijkts4
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) November 6, 2024
The organization pointed out that “the quantity surpasses what was used in World War II,” adding that the Israeli military employed a range of weapons and munitions, most notably white phosphorus, which is prohibited under international law by the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
These attacks have severely damaged environmental components, posing a grave threat to the health of humans and wildlife.
Water Polluted
The organization also indicated that damage to water infrastructure has resulted in polluted water leaking into groundwater reservoirs, foreshadowing a health and environmental catastrophe that threatens to endanger residents for generations to come.
‘Partner in This Crime’ – Euro-Med Says Israel Dropped US-Made Bombs on Tented Gaza Camp
In late April, the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reported that it was estimated that Israel “has dropped more than 70,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip in addition to its bulldozing operations, resulting in the destruction of all buildings at a distance of up to one kilometre in the east and north of the Strip in order to create a so-called buffer zone.”
In September, Euro-Med reported that Israeli warplanes dropped three US-made 2,000-pound (900 kg) MK-84 bombs on a tented camp in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis at midnight as civilians were sleeping.
UN Report
According to a preliminary assessment published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in June, the environmental impacts of Israel’s war on Gaza are unprecedented, with an estimated 39 million tonnes of debris having been generated by the conflict.
The preliminary assessment found that the war “undoes recent, albeit limited progress on Gaza’s environmental management systems.” This included the development of water desalination and wastewater treatment facilities, a rapid growth in solar power, and investments in the restoration of the Wadi Gaza coastal wetland.
Environmental Impact of Gaza War ‘Unprecedented’ – United Nations
Munitions containing heavy metals and explosive chemicals have been deployed in Gaza’s densely populated areas, contaminating soil and water sources, the report said.
This posed a risk to human health which will persist long after the cessation of hostilities, with unexploded ordnance especially posing serious risks to children.
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
HORRIFYING moments following the Israeli warplanes' attacks on Shuhaiber school, which shelters displaced Palestinians in Gaza city. pic.twitter.com/6yjMh6vANl
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) November 7, 2024
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 43,469 Palestinians have been killed, and 102,561 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
Famine and Displacement
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, said on Wednesday that the Israeli military offensive in northern Gaza has left “Palestinians without the essentials to survive”, and “civilians are starving while the world watches on.”… pic.twitter.com/BlSRPKQ0PH
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 7, 2024
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, MEMO)
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