“This level of destruction is not just a loss of infrastructure – it is a collapse of Gaza’s agrifood system and of lifelines.” Beth Bechdol, FAO Deputy Director-General.
Less than five percent of the Gaza Strip’s cropland area remains available for cultivation, exacerbating the risk of famine in the besieged enclave, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) have warned.
“As of April 2025, more than 80 percent of the Gaza Strip’s total cropland area has been damaged (12,537 hectares out of 15,053) and 77.8 percent is not accessible to farmers, leaving just 688 hectares (4.6 percent) available for cultivation,” FAO and UNOSAT said in a statement on Monday.
#Gaza: less than 5% of cropland area remains available for cultivation, exacerbating the risk of famine – @FAO & @UNOSAT warn.
“This is not just a loss of infrastructure – it is a collapse of Gaza’s agrifood system and of lifelines” says @BethBechdol.https://t.co/Y8sJs04N6T
— FAO Newsroom (@FAOnews) May 26, 2025
The situation “is particularly critical” in Rafah and in the northern governorates, “where nearly all cropland is not accessible.”
“This level of destruction is not just a loss of infrastructure – it is a collapse of Gaza’s agrifood system and of lifelines. What once provided food, income, and stability for hundreds of thousands is now in ruins,” said Beth Bechdol, FAO Deputy Director-General.
“With cropland, greenhouses, and wells destroyed, local food production has ground to a halt,” Bechdol added.
She said rebuilding “will require massive investment—and a sustained commitment to restore both livelihoods and hope.”
Rafah Suffers Most Damage
Using high-resolution satellite imagery and comparing against pre-war baselines, the assessment also found that 71.2 percent of the Gaza Strip’s greenhouses have been damaged, the statement said.
Rafah has suffered the highest increase in damaged greenhouses (86.5 percent in April 2025, compared with 57.5 percent in December 2024), while all greenhouses in the Gaza governate are damaged.
According to the latest geospatial assessment carried out by @FAO and @UNOSAT only 4.6% of cropland area in Gaza is available for cultivation, 80.8% is damaged, and 77.8% is not accessible as a result of Israel’s genocidal policies. There are no survival means in blockaded Gaza. pic.twitter.com/IsfBFCkBs9
— Nicola Perugini (@PeruginiNic) May 26, 2025
Agricultural wells “have not fared better, with 82.8 percent of them damaged across the Gaza Strip,” with that figure having stood at “around 67.7 percent in December 2024.”
Before the start of the war, the statement noted, agriculture accounted for approximately 10 percent of Gaza’s economy, with more than 560,000 people relying entirely or partially on crop production, herding, or fishing for their livelihoods.
Critical Risk of Famine
The latest assessment from FAO and UNOSAT follows the release of a new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, which warns that the entire population of the Gaza Strip – approximately 2.1 million people – is facing a critical risk of famine following 19 months “of conflict, mass displacement, and severe restrictions on humanitarian aid.”
According to the IPC report, between 1 April and 10 May 2025, 93 percent of the population, which translates to 1.95 million people, were classified in Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above), including 925,000 (44 percent) in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and 244,000 people, or 12 percent of the population, in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe).
“It’s Bisan and I’m relying on one meal a day.” Starvation is widespread in Gaza, where the population is on the brink of famine pic.twitter.com/Owl4TeYBxB
— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 23, 2025
In Phase 5, the population is subject to catastrophic levels of food insecurity and faces starvation.
Looking ahead, current projections are that 470,000 people (22 percent) “will be in IPC Phase 5 from 11 May to the end of September 2025.”
The FAO has called for “the immediate restoration of humanitarian access and the lifting of blockades.”
For more than two months, Israel has imposed a blockade on all aid entering Gaza, including water, food and medical supplies. A limited amount of aid was allowed in last week.
UN’s Warning
The UN Secretary-General on Friday outlined a five-stage plan to provide lifesaving aid to Gaza’s population, making clear the organization will not take part in any scheme that fails to respect international law or basic humanitarian principles, according to a UN News report.
Antonio Guterres said Palestinians in the enclave are now “enduring what may be the cruellest phase of this cruel conflict,” with families being “starved and denied the very basics.”
UN humanitarians are ready to get aid to a desperate population in #Gaza.
UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres briefed the press and called once again for a permanent ceasefire. https://t.co/y8RdaP7UGL pic.twitter.com/vhdb3VDGpg
— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) May 23, 2025
His statements came as Israel intensifies its military offensive in Gaza and promotes a “new privatised aid distribution” plan which would bypass the UN and partner organizations’ aid operation, the report said.
He noted that despite authorising a “trickle of aid” to enter in recent days, supplies from only 115 out of 400 trucks have been cleared for collection and distribution – while nothing has reached the besieged north.
Israel is causing unnecessary delays, imposing quotas on distribution and barring essentials such as fuel, shelter, cooking gas, and water purification supplies – are prohibited, the report said.
Five-Stage Plan
Guterres said the UN and partners had “a detailed, principled, operationally-sound 5-stage plan” – supported by UN Member States:
- Ensure the delivery of aid to Gaza
- Inspect and scan aid at crossing points
- Transport aid from crossing points to humanitarian facilities
- Prepare aid for onward distribution
- And transport aid to people in need
“We have the personnel, the distribution networks, the systems and community relationships in place to act,” said the UN chief. “The supplies – 160,000 pallets, enough to fill nearly 9,000 trucks – are waiting.”
“This is my appeal for life-saving aid for the long-suffering people of Gaza,” Guterres stressed.
26 Palestinians Die in 24 Hours Due to Starvation, Lack of Medical Treatment
‘Aid a Needle in a Haystack’ – UNRWA
Meanwhile, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has said that “No one should be surprised let alone shocked at scenes of precious aid looted, stolen or ‘lost.’”
Lazzarini pointed out that the people of Gaza “have been starved + deprived of the basics including water & medicines for more than 11 weeks.”
Parents “have run out of food for their children. Older people died because of lack of medicines,” he added.
No one should be surprised let alone shocked at scenes of precious aid looted, stolen or “lost”.
The people of #Gaza have been starved + deprived of the basics including water & medicines for more than 11 weeks.
Mothers and fathers have run out of food for their children.…— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) May 23, 2025
“The aid going in now is a needle in a haystack. A meaningful & uninterrupted flow of aid is the only way to prevent the current disaster from spiraling further,” Lazzarini stressed.
The “least needed is 500-600 trucks every day managed through the UN including UNRWA”, he noted, pointing out that during the ceasefire, “we brought in an average of 500-600 trucks a day without diversion or looting.”
Lazzarini said saving lives “must overtake military & political agendas. The people of Gaza cannot wait any longer.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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