Just 1.5% of Gaza’s farmland usable after conflict as UN warns of ‘full-scale famine’

Statistics from the UN-backed Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show a sharp decline in the available farmland from 4% in April, as Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing military campaign continues to devastate the region.

Fertile land in northern Gaza has been destroyed or damaged by Israeli tanks and airstrikes — ruining 94% of what was once among the most productive agricultural zones in the territory.

The drop in viable farmland suggests that Israeli forces have continued targeting agricultural areas since imposing a near-total blockade on humanitarian aid into Gaza in early March.

Severe food shortages have led to rising cases of acute malnutrition and skyrocketing food prices — with a kilogram of flour recently costing as much as $80 in parts in the region.

Before the war began 22 months ago, Palestinians in the territory lived in a flourishing agricultural hub where farmers produced a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains for local consumption.

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Agriculture accounted for around 10% of Gaza’s economy, according to FAO data, with one in four people at least partially reliant on farming or fishing.

As part of its siege on Gaza — launched in retaliation to the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023 — Israel has reportedly targeted orchards, greenhouses, cropland, and coastal fisheries.

Since then, Israeli forces have destroyed 86% of all farmland across the Gaza Strip — equivalent to nearly 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres), according to the FAO.

This data, accurate as of July 28, 2025, reflects a jump from the 81% destruction recorded in April.

While just under 9% of cropland remains physically accessible, only 1.5% is both accessible and undamaged by Israeli operations.

In Rafah, near Egypt’s border, the IDF has flattened 79% of farmland as part of its so-called “military corridor” and is preventing access to the remaining 21%.

The findings prompted FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu to warn that Gaza is on the brink of a "full-scale famine".

"People are starving not because food is unavailable, but because access is blocked, local agrifood systems have collapsed, and families can no longer sustain even the most basic livelihoods," Mr Dongyu told The Guardian.

To address the crisis and "prevent a further loss of life," he said Gaza urgently needs "safe and sustained humanitarian access and immediate support to restore local food production".

More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups have now warned of mass starvation in the territory.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says 154 people — including 89 children — have died from lack of food since October 2023.

UN agencies also reported at least 63 malnutrition-related deaths this month alone.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and led to 251 others being taken hostage.

Israel says 49 hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 27 are believed to be dead.

The IDF’s offensive has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry — figures cited by the UN and others as the most reliable source currently available on casualties.

Israel has repeatedly insisted there are no restrictions on aid deliveries and denies that starvation is taking place.