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More than half of cropland in hungry Gaza is damaged: UN

Satellite imagery from May 2017 to 2024 reveals that 57 percent of Gaza's crop fields and arable lands essential for food security have significantly declined in density and health, according to the UN.

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More than one million people are expected to face death and starvation by the middle of July in Gaza, the UN warns. / Photo: AA

More than half of Gaza's agricultural land, crucial for feeding the war-ravaged territory's hungry population, has been degraded by Israel's war, according to satellite images analysed by the United Nations.

The data reveals a rise in the destruction of orchards, field crops and vegetables in the Palestinian enclave on Thursday, where hunger is widespread after eight months of Israeli bombardment.

The World Health Organisation warned on Wednesday that many people in Gaza were facing "catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions".

Using satellite imagery taken between May 2017 and 2024, the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that 57 percent of Gaza's permanent crop fields and arable lands essential for food security had shown a significant decline in density and health.

"In May 2024, crop health and density across Gaza showed a marked decline compared to the average of the previous seven seasons," UNOSAT said on Thursday.

"This deterioration is attributed to conflict-related activities, including razing, heavy vehicle movement, bombing, and shelling."

The decline, UNOSAT said, marked a 30 percent increase in damaged agricultural land since it published its last analysis in April.

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Israel's brutality on Gaza

Israel's ground and air assault has been ongoing since Oct. 7, killing more than 37,000 people in Gaza and causing mass destruction and cut-off routes for aid.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday there were more than 8,000 children under five years old in Gaza who had been treated for acute malnutrition.

As well as damage to crop fields and orchards, greenhouses across Gaza had also sustained significant damage, UNOSAT said.

Gaza has an estimated 151 square kilometres of agricultural land, which makes up about 41 percent of the coastal enclave's territory, according to data from UNOSAT.