Amman, Nov. 6 (Petra)-- Palestinian authorities have warned of an impending environmental and humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip resulting from the widespread destruction caused by the Israeli genocide, citing the accumulation of approximately 68 million tonnes of rubble and the destruction of agricultural land, water infrastructure and sewage networks.
In a statement issued Friday to mark the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, observed annually on November 6, the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority said between 61 million and 68 million tonnes of rubble had accumulated across the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli destruction.
The rubble includes around 4 million tonnes of hazardous waste and at least 50,000 tonnes of asbestos, a carcinogenic fibrous material commonly used in construction and insulation.
The authority added that the Israeli war had destroyed 82 percent of agricultural land, 97 percent of olive and other fruit trees, and 84 percent of water and sewage infrastructure.
The destruction of infrastructure has resulted in approximately 120,000 cubic metres of untreated sewage being discharged daily into streets and water bodies across the Gaza Strip, it said.
In the occupied West Bank, the authority reported that Israeli forces and settlers committed 760 environmental violations from the beginning of the year through the end of September, targeting agricultural land, vegetation, water resources and infrastructure.
It described these violations as part of what it termed "environmental genocide." According to the statement, 203 attacks targeted agricultural land and nature reserves, involving the bulldozing of olive groves, the construction of settlement roads and the seizure of thousands of dunums under the pretext of military purposes or pursuant to what is known as the "Israeli Antiquities Law." The violations also included fencing off land to establish pastoral settlement outposts.
The authority also documented 178 attacks against forests and vegetation, including the uprooting of thousands of trees, among them approximately 100,000 olive trees, causing estimated losses of $67 million, in addition to the burning of wheat and barley fields.
It recorded 185 violations involving waste and hazardous demolition debris, including the accumulation of thousands of tonnes of rubble mixed with metals and plastics, particularly in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates and their refugee camps.
The authority said its teams had also intercepted attempts to smuggle hazardous waste from territories occupied in 1948 for burial in the Qalqilya and Tulkarm governorates.
Other violations included 52 incidents targeting food security and livestock, 37 attacks on water resources and wells, 35 attacks on water transmission lines and irrigation networks, and five attacks on sewage networks.
The authority stressed that these violations constitute "environmental war crimes," urging the international community to assume its responsibilities, work to end the occupation, and enable Palestinians to manage and protect their natural resources.
//Petra// MF
