68M tons of rubble pose environmental, humanitarian disaster in Gaza: Palestinian authority

Palestinian authorities warned Friday of an environmental and humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, saying Israeli attacks have left up to 68 million tons of rubble. The Palestinian Environment Quality Authority issued the warning in a statement marking the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, observed annually on Nov. 6. Between 61 million and 68 million tons of rubble have accumulated across Gaza as a result of Israeli destruction, including around 4 million tons of hazardous waste and at least 50,000 tons of asbestos, a carcinogenic fibrous material formerly widely used in construction and insulation, the authority said.

The Israeli war destroyed 82% of Gaza's agricultural land, 97% of olive and other fruit trees, and 84% of water and sewage infrastructure, it said. The destruction of sanitation infrastructure has resulted in around 120,000 cubic meters (31.7 million gallons) of untreated wastewater being discharged daily into streets and water basins across Gaza, it added. Since October 2023, Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and wounded over 175,000 others, in addition to causing widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure. 760 environmental attacks in occupied West Bank The authority also documented 760 Israeli environmental attacks across the occupied West Bank from the beginning of 2026 through the end of September, targeting agricultural land, vegetation, water sources and infrastructure.

According to the authority, 203 attacks targeted agricultural land and nature reserves, including the bulldozing of olive groves, construction of settlement roads and seizure of Palestinian land for military and settlement purposes. Another 178 attacks targeted forests and vegetation, including the uprooting of thousands of trees, among them around 100,000 olive trees, with losses estimated at $67 million, it said. The authority also recorded 185 incidents involving waste and hazardous demolition debris, 52 attacks affecting food security and livestock, 37 targeting water sources and wells, 35 targeting water pipelines and irrigation networks, and five involving sewage systems.

It called on the international community to act to halt the violations and enable Palestinians to exercise control over and protect their natural resources. Israeli military attacks and occupier violence against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank have intensified since the start of the Gaza war, including killings, arrests, demolitions, property destruction, land bulldozing, displacement and settlement expansion.