The Environmental Cost of War in Gaza

Lucile Dudrey-Harvey on 1 March 2025

Our environment is often an overlooked casualty of war. However, the severe waste contamination in Gaza—resulting from infrastructure collapse and military violence over the past 15 months—has shone a harsh light on the undeniable impact of conflict on our fragile ecosystem.

UN reports have stated approximately 97% of Gaza’s water is undrinkable due to the destruction of infrastructure, primarily the breakdown of sewage and waste management facilities. This has resulted in the accumulation of 39 million tonnes of debris and contamination of irrigation systems, leading to the death of livestock such as goats and cattle, as well as financially depleting the fishing and agriculture sector. Consequently, food security for the human population has decreased and the environment has faced extreme loss of natural habitats and contamination of air, soil and water. Gaza’s Mediterranean coast, a vibrant rich ecosystem teeming with coral reefs and hundreds of species of fish, has been made a hostile environment through underwater explosions and oil spills. 

Satellite images further reveal that around 80% of Gaza’s trees have been lost, while two-thirds of its farmlands have been damaged or destroyed by military bombardment—an ecological catastrophe that accelerates desertification and reduces carbon absorption. Such evidence underscores that, as with all environmental crises, the repercussions of this war extend far beyond Gaza. Every ecosystem plays a crucial role in maintaining our atmosphere and mitigating global warming, and it is important to consider the immense wealth this Mediterranean territory provides. 

This large-scale environmental degradation not only affects land and water resources but also threatens the region’s rich biodiversity. Palestine is characterised by its highly diverse topography, home to around 50,000 living species, constituting 3% of global biodiversity. In Gaza, direct bombings and pollution have inflicted severe damage on coastal areas, which provides vital feeding grounds to native migratory birds such as the turtle dove; a once abundant symbol of peace that is now tragically facing endangerment. 

Other animals, such as the Palestine sunbird and Arabian gazelle, have been pushed closer to extinction, while experts estimate a 40% decline in biodiversity since the 2000s, affecting countless more species. However, there is still the possibility of recovering these numbers, especially in light of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas enacted on January 19th 2025, which provides a window for environmental justice in this war torn area. The relief from bombardement will reduce further loss of habitat areas and fatality of wildlife through injury, although even with this respite, we can expect the consequences of contamination and pollution to have much longer lasting effects. 

As with most climate crises, it can be tempting to label the situation as hopeless. However, doing so would underestimate the humanitarian support that continues to exist in Gaza, even after more than 50 years of occupation. In 2022, for the first time in over a decade, Palestenians were able to swim in the ocean during the summer thanks to a community-led beach clean up and years of lobbying for improved sewage systems. More recently, even amid ongoing conflict, Gaza witnessed the installation of a desalination plant by the UAE in December 2023, providing 4.5 million liters of clean water. In March 2024, additional water pumping facilities were introduced, supplying clean water to over 200,000 residents in northern Gaza.

These efforts align with broader environmental commitments, such as Palestine’s participation in the Paris Agreement, which signals a long-term ambition to mitigate ecological harm. We can hope to see aims in reducing the environmental impact with projects such as replanting or soil decontamination. However, such processes are long and costly, often relying on charity aid and local involvement, which is further impeded by the fact many are facing tragic loss, medical issues or are suffering due to the lack of food and shelter. 

Human and environmental crises are deeply connected—one cannot be addressed without the other. Only through awareness and collective action can one expect to see the restoration of both Gaza’s environment and the lives that depend on it.

Words by Lucile Dudrey-Harvey

Leeds student walkout: voices amplified in solidarity with Palestine amidst growing humanitarian crisis

Ioana Gradinaru on 8 February 2024

Yesterday (Wednesday 7th February), the Leeds student walk out in solidarity with Palestine took place in front of the Parkinson building.

According to organisers, approximately 200 individuals attended the protest and march organised by the Leeds Socialist Worker Student Society in collaboration with other societies from University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University. The protest joined a national walkout calling on institutions to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. They called on the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University to end their partnerships with Israeli universities and the British arms-maker BAE Systems. They also called for student unions in Leeds to stand with Palestine.

The protest started outside the University of Leeds Parkinson building, with pro-Palestinian chants like “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Ceasefire now.” With placards, banners and flags, the protesters started their march down Woodhouse Lane, in front of the Old Broadcasting House where participants made several speeches.

Among the participating unions were the Leeds City branch of RMT, Leeds University Amnesty International, Leeds City College, Leeds Palestine Solidarity Group, Leeds Beckett Palestine Society and several other societies from the universities. The organisers claim that this has been the biggest turnout for a walkout since the start of the protests in October. The march was followed by a convoy of taxis, some of them with Palestinian flags, showing their support and solidarity.

Image: @swssleeds on Instagram

The speakers talked about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which is worsening according to various news agencies. The UN estimates that since the start of the war, 100,000 people in Gaza have been killed, injured or are missing. Al Jazeera estimates the death toll to be over 27,000.

Recently, nearly a dozen Western countries announced they will stop providing aid to Gaza through donations to UNRWA (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), which is one of the main ways Palestinians receive aid. The funding cuts come after Israeli officials accused several UNRWA employees of being involved in the October 7th attack. The UNRWA’s commissioner general said: “it would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an Agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region.”. He also announced: “I urge countries who have suspended their funding to re-consider their decisions before UNRWA is forced to suspend its humanitarian response. The lives of people in Gaza depend on this support and so does regional stability”. 

Issy Beauvoisin, a member of the Socialist Worker Student Society,  called on students in Leeds to take part in weekly student walkouts. “Boycotting is really important and a really effective way to get to the crux of the issue and supporting things like the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which organise the Saturday demos.” The Leeds Palestine Solidarity Campaign has been organising protests every Saturday since the beginning of October in the Leeds City Centre. Beauvoisin said: “I’d love for our universities to become more involved, especially our student unions.We’re really trying to ask them to become a little more sympathetic to the issue of Palestine and support us more and allow us to do more activism on campus.”

The protesters also flew Yemen’s flag, in solidarity with the bombings taking place there right now. Since mid-November, Houthi rebels have been attacking ships and blocking the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestine. According to CNN, the Suez Canal has great importance in global trade, with 12% of global trade passing through it yearly. When a ship got stuck and blocked the canal for almost a week in 2021, it caused interruptions in trade worth “as much as $10 billion in cargo each day.” 

Since the October 7th attacks, many world leaders have been accused by the media of mishandling the situation. As protests continue around the world, it is up to these leaders to decide the next moves in this conflict.

In a previous statement on the Israel-Palestine conflict, a spokesperson for the University of Leeds said “we are writing to express our continued support for all in our community who are affected by the terrible conflict in Israel and Gaza and its devastating impact on civilians in the region.”. They also said they are committed to free speech and the right to demonstrate.