As famine looms in the Gaza Strip, a new assessment conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) through satellite imagery reveals a staggering reality: 98.5 percent of cropland in the Gaza Strip is either damaged, inaccessible, or both.
This means that only 1.5 percent of cropland in Gaza - 232 hectares - is currently available for cultivation, down from 4.6 percent (688 hectares) as of April 2025, in a territory with over 2 million people.
Satellite imagery also indicates that 12.4 percent of cropland, although undamaged, is not accessible due to designated "no go" zones.
The combination of this extremely limited cropland availability, the impact of a relentless conflict, severe restrictions on the delivery and distribution of humanitarian assistance, and widespread destruction of critical infrastructure - including irrigation systems, roads, equipment, storage facilities, and markets - has led to catastrophic food security conditions across Gaza.
Addressing this crisis requires urgent safe and sustained humanitarian access, as well as immediate investments and support to restore local food production and basic livelihoods.
"To prevent further suffering, we need to prioritize urgent humanitarian access and invest in restoring Gaza's local agrifood production systems, markets, and infrastructure. This includes both regaining safe access to farmland and rehabilitating land and assets damaged by the conflict," said Rein Paulsen, Director of FAO's Emergencies and Resilience.
Catastrophic food crisis
FAO and UNOSAT's cropland assessment follows the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) alert issued on July 29, which indicated that the worst-case scenario of famine is currently unfolding in the Gaza Strip.
The latest data reveals that over one in three people (39 percent) are going days without food. More than 500,000 people - nearly a quarter of Gaza's population - are experiencing famine-like conditions, while the rest face emergency levels of hunger.
In response to the IPC alert, FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF have urgently called for:
- An immediate and sustained ceasefire, to stop the killing, allow for the safe release of hostages and further enable lifesaving humanitarian operations.
- Sustained safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, for the mass influx of assistance via all available crossings, and to deliver food, nutrition supplies, critical water, fuel, and medical assistance to families in need across Gaza.
- Urgent need to get commercial traffic flowing into Gaza by reviving commercial supply chains to restore local markets. The protection of civilians and aid workers, alongside the restoration of essential services, in particular health, water and sewage infrastructures.
- Investment in the recovery of local food systems, including the revitalization of bakeries, markets and rehabilitation of agriculture.
