Months of relentless Israeli bombardment have left Gaza not only in ruins but facing an escalating environmental catastrophe, according to a detailed investigation by Bloomberg. Contaminated soil, polluted water sources, and mountains of uncollected waste now define the landscape, creating a public health crisis with long-term consequences. Experts warn that the environmental fallout will endure for generations and is already beginning to impact communities beyond Gaza’s borders.

Before "Israel" launched its devastating war, Souk Feras in central Gaza City was a bustling marketplace known for its rows of produce vendors offering olives, tomatoes, and peaches. Today, the site has been transformed into a massive waste dump.

According to Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO), roughly 200,000 metric tons of garbage are now piled at the former market. Shawa, based in Gaza, is working with local authorities and UN agencies to find new landfill locations but says that it's increasingly difficult due to widespread displacement and infrastructure collapse. “The trash is piling up uncontrollably,” he said.

“The landfills are located right among the population who live in tents, without hygiene supplies or water,” Shawa said. “There’s no medication or medical support. It’s painful now, but it’s going to leave long-term effects on public health.”

Satellite images from June 2025 analyzed by Bloomberg News show nearly 350 informal dump sites scattered across Gaza, covering over one square kilometer. The real number is likely higher. Around 60% of these waste accumulations are situated near displaced persons' tents, with about 15% close to water, sanitation, or hygiene sites.

Infrastructure collapse, environmental fallout

Years of mismanagement followed by the outbreak of Israeli genocide in October 2023 have caused critical infrastructure to disintegrate. Gaza’s coastal waters are now choked with untreated sewage and industrial runoff. The territory’s lone aquifer is at serious risk of contamination. Collapsed buildings have generated an estimated 55 million metric tons of rubble, according to UN figures, releasing hazardous materials into the air and soil.

Shawa described the scale of the environmental fallout as “a complex environmental disaster in every dimension.” He added, “We’ve lost water wells, boreholes, and desalination stations. There’s nothing left that represents life in Gaza anymore.”

The ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza has resulted in nearly 60,000 Palestinian killings and around 140,000 injuries, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

Experts warn that the environmental damage in Gaza will have cross-border implications. Pollutants can travel through the air and water and spread by wildlife and human movement. “What happens in the environment in Gaza isn’t restricted to Gaza,” said Doug Weir, head of the UK-based Conflict and Environment Observatory. “All the different issues… they rarely respect boundaries.”

Contaminated coastlines, failing water systems

Basil Yasin, a 56-year-old environmentalist and field coordinator for EcoPeace Middle East, once found peace near the sea at Deir al-Balah. Today, his visits are marked by despair. “Blackened by raw sewage,” is how he described the water.

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Gaza’s water crisis long predates the war. The aquifer that serves as the territory’s main source of fresh water has been steadily depleted due to overuse, seawater intrusion, and agricultural contamination. The past 21 months of war have pushed the system to total collapse. As of early 2025, most of Gaza’s water infrastructure had been destroyed.

Raw sewage now flows through streets and farmland. Heavy metals from Israeli munitions and damaged solar panels have added to soil and water pollution. UNEP reports that about 84,000 cubic meters of untreated sewage were discharged into the Mediterranean daily in July.

The environmental damage has also been accelerated by widespread deforestation. Trees have been cut down for fuel or destroyed in Israeli airstrikes. Compacted soil and erosion now raise the threat of long-term desertification.

Testing the extent of the damage remains a challenge. “In Gaza, there isn’t a single device for testing,” said Abeer Butmeh of PNGO. “All universities and labs were hit, leaving no laboratory operational.”

Changing nature of waste

For Hani Abu Tarifa, a 40-year-old resident of Al Qarara Port, the task of collecting trash is a lifeline. Forced to relocate ten times since his home was destroyed, he now works with UN agencies collecting garbage using a donkey cart.

His route has changed over time. “The situation is very difficult nowadays,” he said. Early in the war, his cart overflowed with food waste. Now, it’s mostly empty cans. According to the UN, less than 5% of Gaza’s farmland remained arable by April, and food prices have soared. Abu Tarifa earns about $5 a day, paid every 50 days by UNICEF.

With food and water severely restricted, many families now survive on just one meal daily. An open letter by over 100 aid organizations on July 23 warned that mass starvation is spreading in Gaza.

Efforts to manage trash remain rudimentary. On days of intense shelling, garbage is either left uncollected or stored in large containers for later disposal.

Humanitarian, environmental crises collide

Living conditions in Gaza’s so-called “safe zones” have further deteriorated public health. Makeshift sewage pits have contributed to groundwater contamination and the spread of waterborne diseases such as dysentery and hepatitis A.

“In a place like Gaza where there is such an intense humanitarian crisis, people wonder whether it’s right to talk about the environment,” said Weir. “But it’s a false dichotomy... it is undermining the basic life support systems that people rely on.”

War zones are fertile ground for these organisms. Overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, coupled with weakened immune systems and destroyed medical facilities, lead to rapid transmission. Improper use of antibiotics exacerbates the problem.

A future in question

Before the war, Yasin’s environmental work involved youth outreach and sustainable farming education. “Some of them became teachers and environmental engineers, imagine,” he said. “The environmental and water situation was improving, and heading in the right direction... I was really very happy.”

That work is now gone. Wadi Gaza, a protected wetland once the focus of international restoration efforts, is now a wasteland. Other ecosystems across the territory, including orchards and olive groves, have also been destroyed.

UNEP estimates that cleanup and reconstruction in Gaza may take more than a decade and cost over $53 billion.

Yasin has moved shelter eight times. In June, he described displacement as “a kind of living death.” Despite his hopes to help rebuild Gaza, recent Israeli aggression on Deir al-Balah has dimmed his outlook.

“The situation is worse than ever,” he said. “I never imagined that it would get to this point.”