UN investigates environmental impact of war in Gaza

The Program of the United Nations for the Environment (UNEP) is investigating the ecological impact of Israel war against the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Stripconfirmed this Wednesday to an EFE spokesperson.

“While UNEP is not yet able to conduct on-the-ground assessment work in Gaza, we are working with partners to gain a preliminary understanding of the extent of environmental damage,” explained the spokesperson for UNEP, which has its headquarters in Nairobi.

“The sources – he specified – include analysis of satellite images, information from entities of the UN on the ground and knowledge of the impacts of past conflicts (in Gaza and elsewhere)”.

The spokesperson pointed out that “evaluation work has already begun” and it is expected that “Preliminary results will be available over the next two or three months.”

All reports and data received suggest that the conflict has led to a significant increase in land, soil and water pollution, including the release of hazardous materials into the environment, according to UNEP.

Since the escalation of war, waste management facilities have been damaged or destroyed and electricity supplies have been cut or interrupted.

The UN agency estimates that at least 100,000 cubic meters of wastewater are dumped daily into land or the Mediterranean Sea.

“Historical incidents of marine pollution in Gaza have resulted in high concentrations of chlorophyll and suspended organic matter in coastal waters, as well as gastrointestinal parasites. “This conflict is likely increasing these problems,” the spokesperson noted.

“Debris and hazardous waste are also a major concern”admitted the UNEP source, which estimates that the total amount of debris (as of January 7, 2024) amounts to 22.9 million tons.

“This is an extremely large amount of debris, especially for such a small area. The management of the debris will be an extensive and delicate operation,” as “it may contain harmful substances such as asbestos.” and also“there are human remains”, the spokesperson added.

The executive director of UNEP, Inger Andersen, addressed this issue last week with the president of the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority, Nisreen Tamimi, at the VI UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), which was held in Nairobi.

Andersen then revealed that UNEP has received “an official request to carry out an assessment of the environmental impacts of the conflict in Gaza.”

The war between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7 after an attack by the Islamist group that left 1,200 dead in Israeli territory and took at least 240 people hostage.

Since then, the Israeli military offensive on Gaza has caused more than 30,700 confirmed Palestinian deaths and more than 72,150 injuries, of which 70% They are women and children.

It is estimated that some 8,000 people are buried and dead under the rubble of destroyed buildings, in a landscape of unprecedented devastation that, according to experts, has practically not been seen since World War II (1939-1945).