According to a UN assessment released on Monday, damage and access limitations prevent more than 5% of Gaza's crops from being used for cultivation.
"Exacerbating the risk of famine in the area," says UN.
According to Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, which co-produced the assessment with the UN Satellite Center, "this level of destruction is not just a loss of infrastructure – it is a collapse of Gaza's agrifood system and of lifelines."
Even though Gaza is one of the most densely inhabited regions in the world, farmers there were growing a variety of commodities before the Israel-Hamas war started more than 19 months ago, including citrus fruits, dates, and olives, reports Reuters.
Following an 11-week siege, Israeli limitations on food imports have left half a million people in danger of starving, according to a worldwide hunger monitor.
According to the UN assessment, only 688 hectares, or 4.6% of the total, are suitable for cultivation.
It revealed that the war had harmed almost 80% of Gaza's agricultural land. According to a UN assessment of Israeli restricted locations and evacuation orders, 77.8% of the area is inaccessible.
The evaluation, which was based on high-resolution satellite images, revealed that over 80% of wells and over three-quarters of greenhouses had sustained damage during the conflict.
According to the statement, the situation is "particularly critical" in the northern regions of Rafah, where almost all agriculture is inaccessible, and in the southern region.
