Gaza cropland only 3% accessible and undamaged, UN says

Only 3% of Gaza's cropland remains accessible and undamaged, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization warned Tuesday, citing an analysis of satellite images.

The FAO said accessible and undamaged cropland had fallen to 448 hectares from 601 hectares since October 2025, when a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold. It described the change as a 25.5% reduction.

Another 3,643 hectares of cropland are accessible but too damaged to be farmed without rehabilitation, the agency said. Greenhouse availability has also fallen 17.3% since October 2025, to 224 hectares that are accessible and undamaged.

Rein Paulsen, director of the FAO's Office of Emergencies and Resilience, said opportunities to restore local food production would continue to diminish without urgent action to restore safe access and support farmers.

The FAO said restrictions on imports of agricultural goods were also hampering recovery, with livestock farmers struggling to obtain animal feed and veterinary supplies. It said reduced access could be explained mainly by the westward expansion of the so-called Yellow Line separating the ceasefire zone from the area controlled by the Israeli military.

The FAO said that before October 2023, agriculture accounted for about 10% of Gaza's economy and supported the livelihoods of more than 560,000 people.