GHLands : The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in the Gaza Strip has estimated the losses suffered by the agricultural sector since the outbreak of the war on 8 October 2023 at more than $3 billion, stating that the damage has affected all components of the agricultural sector and led to a significant decline in production and a worsening food security crisis.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Raafat Asaliya, said during a press conference held at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, that the loss estimates were based on the analysis of high-resolution aerial imagery, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and official agricultural databases.
He explained that the total losses amounted to approximately $3 billion, including $1.49 billion in direct damages and $1.59 billion in indirect losses resulting from halted production and the disruption of agricultural activities linked to it.
Asaliya noted that the crop production sector sustained extensive damage, with around 158,909 dunams out of a total of 182,247 dunams affected, representing approximately 87% of the sector’s cultivated area. This resulted in a sharp decline in crop production and reduced Gaza’s ability to meet food needs.
He added that the agricultural irrigation system suffered near-total collapse after approximately 8,700 agricultural water wells became completely out of service. In addition, 3,828 agricultural water reservoirs were damaged, along with around 1,371 kilometers of agricultural water transmission networks.
In the livestock sector, the ministry reported that damages reached approximately 90.3%, affecting more than 5,450 livestock farms and around 2,300 poultry farms. The destruction also resulted in the loss of nearly 69,000 livestock animals, more than 2 million birds, and damage to approximately 28,400 beehives.
The fisheries sector also suffered major losses, including damage to 1,674 fishing vessels and equipment units, seven aquaculture farms, and 450 dual-use ponds. The destruction of Gaza’s only fish hatchery also led to an almost complete halt of fishing and fish production activities.
The ministry stated that the damage extended to agricultural infrastructure, with dozens of agricultural nurseries affected, including horticulture and vegetable nurseries. The destruction also included 18 egg hatcheries and 134 agricultural storage facilities, in addition to widespread damage to government agricultural centers, veterinary laboratories, experimental stations, water treatment facilities, and fishermen’s infrastructure.
The Ministry of Agriculture emphasized that the scale of destruction has caused a near-complete paralysis of the agricultural production system, severely undermined food security, and deprived thousands of families of their sources of income, increasing reliance on humanitarian assistance.
The ministry called on the international community, United Nations agencies, and donor organizations to take urgent action to support the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector, restore its infrastructure, and enable farmers to resume production in order to strengthen food security and support economic recovery in Gaza.
Despite reaching a ceasefire agreement on 10 October 2025, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has not witnessed significant improvement, amid continued restrictions on the entry of essential supplies, including food, medical aid, and reconstruction materials.
The agreement came after a war lasting nearly two years, which resulted in more than 73,000 fatalities and over 173,000 injuries, in addition to widespread destruction affecting approximately 90% of civilian infrastructure across the Gaza Strip.
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