From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
96% of Gaza’s agricultural land destroyed or made inaccessible by war, study finds
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The war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza has left 96% of the Palestinian enclave’s cropland damaged or inaccessible, a study has found.
The study released today by aid group Mercy Corps finds only 7% of Gaza’s agricultural infrastructure remains functional.
The group says water systems have been severely degraded, wells have been damaged, salinity has risen and wastewater has infiltrated Gaza’s farmland.
“This destruction is not just environmental,” Mercy Corps sats. “It is directly linked to the food crisis.”
The group warns that full recovery of Gaza’s cropland could be hindered for years if Israel continues its restriction on goods delivery and the contamination of land and water is not addressed.
An October ceasefire stopped heavy fighting in Gaza and allowed for the increased entry of humanitarian aid, although rights groups have warned that there is still a way to go in solving food scarcity issues in the war-torn enclave.
In a periodic Humanitarian Situation Report earlier this month, the UN’s humanitarian affairs agency noted that there appeared to be declining access to fresh food, with people in Gaza consuming vegetables an average of 1.8 days a week, down from 2.5 days a week in early March.
The Times of Israel Community.