FACT SHEET

EWASH Advocacy Task Force

Water for Agriculture and Food

Security in Gaza
"Water is necessary to produce food (right to adequate food) and ensure environmental hygiene (right to health).
Water is essential for securing livelihoods (right to gain a living by work) and enjoying certain cultural practices."
UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, General Comment 15: The right to water (2002)

The Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip and Israel's military operation in Gaza in December 2008-January 2009
have exacerbated existing water quality and supply problems and caused increased damage to water resources
essential for agriculture.
In the past, agriculture production in Gaza ensured food security. Currently, agriculture in the Gaza Strip is
barely viable.

Water Resources for Agriculture

Around 60 to 65 per cent of total water use in the Gaza Strip is
for agriculture.1 Most agriculture in Gaza relies on irrigation
with 87 million cubic metres of water utilised for this purpose
each year (including water abstracted from unlicensed
wells).2 Prior to Operation Cast Lead, some two-thirds of the
total cultivated area in Gaza was irrigated.3 The main water
source for irrigation in the Gaza Strip is the Coastal Aquifer.

Agriculture in the Gaza Strip

Sprinkler irrigation in Gaza. Gaza's water is

Agricultural products are important for economic security in the

little choice but to use it if they are to grow

Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), constituting 23 per cent of

crops through the dry summer months.

national Palestinian commodities exports.4 One-third of Gaza's

land is utilised for agriculture,5 despite that agriculture only

unsuitable for irrigation yet farmers have

(Photo source: Mohammed El

Saleh/GCC/Mercy Corps)

accounts for seven per cent of GDP in the West Bank and Gaza.6
The World Bank notes that "although Gaza is urbanised, it has a vital and potentially profitable agricultural sector".7
However, the tightening of restrictions on Gaza has meant that it is extremely difficult to make a living from
agriculture. Exports of produce and imports of materials necessary for agricultural production are limited. The result
has been increased reliance on small-scale agriculture to meet daily food needs and provide economic security.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

UNEP, Environmental Assessment of the Gaza Strip Following Escalation of Hostilities in December 2008-January 2009,
(September 2009), p. 50.
Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Sector and Water in the OPT (January 2009).
Palestinian Water Authority, Agricultural and Municipal Water Demand in Gaza Governorates for 2008.
Palestinian Water Authority, Agricultural Water Management and Conservation Methods in Palestine.
Food and Agriculture Organization, Agricultural Sector Update: Impact of Recent Closure Measures, (7 December, 2008).
Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Sector and Water in the OPT, (January 2009).
World Bank, Assessment of Restrictions on Palestinian Water Sector Development (2009), p. 31.

www.ewash.org

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EWASH Advocacy Task Force
During the first half of 2010 53 per cent of households in Gaza were food insecure8 Small-scale agriculture,
backyard production, cottage industries and livestock breeding could enable communities to reduce their
dependency on direct food aid and help generate much needed income.

The Human Right to Food in the OPT

Israel has ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Article 11 of the ICESCR
states that parties should undertake to realize the right to freedom from hunger and the right to adequate food.
In addition, under international humanitarian law, Israel as an occupying power has an obligation to respect
the right to food and water and must ensure provision of food and water if resources are inadequate.9
This means that States are obliged to respect the need for access to food adequate in quality and quantity and
a food intake that allows for an active and healthy life, one that is nutritionally balanced, free of toxic
substances and culturally acceptable. It also means that States must not adopt any measures that destroy
access to resources (such as water) necessary for the food security of groups or individuals. In addition, under
international humanitarian law, Israel as an occupying power has an obligation to respect the right to food
and water and must ensure provision of food and water if resources are inadequate.10

Restricted Access to Quality Water for Food

Access to the Buffer Zone
The Gaza Buffer Zone is a military no-go area created under Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements that extends
along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Originally intended to be 50 meters wide, the Buffer Zone
has been unilaterally expanded by Israel numerous times and is now 0.5-1km along the eastern border and 1.8-2km
along the northern border.11
The Gaza Buffer Zone comprises around 30-40 per cent of Gaza's agricultural lands and numerous ground water
wells.12 However, access to the buffer zone is severely restricted and those who enter risk coming under fire
from Israeli military patrols. Since 2005, 305 water wells were destroyed in the buffer zone worth US$9.1 million.13
The agricultural sector has reported that due to these restrictions some farmers are unable to access sources of
irrigation water and must adapt their crop production so that it is rain fed. Access to water and grazing for
livestock is also restricted, meaning there is greater dependence on animal feed.
As a result, many families dependent on agriculture have lost their livelihoods. A Save the Children UK study
found that 50 per cent of respondents who lived in the buffer zone reported losing their sources of livelihood
since 2000, compared with 33 per cent of the general Gaza population.14

Access to the Sea

Israel has imposed restrictions on access to coastal waters with Gazan fishermen only able to access up to three
nautical miles from the coast. This means that fish catches are severely decreased, affecting the ability of the
Gazan population to access much needed protein from fish. Between 2008 and 2009, the total catch in Gaza
8 OCHA, The Monthly Humanitarian Monitor, (February 2011).
9 UN Economic and Social Council, The Right to Food in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Report by the Special
Rapporteur, Jean Ziegler, (October 2003).
10 UN Economic and Social Council, The Right to Food in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Report by the Special
Rapporteur, Jean Ziegler, (October 2003).
11 FAO, Farming without land, fishing without water: Gaza agriculture sector struggles to survive, May 2010.
12 Save the Children UK, Fact Sheet: Gaza Buffer Zone, (October 2009).
13 OCHA, Between the Fence and a Hard Place: the humanitarian impact of Israeli-imposed restrictions on access
to land and sea in the Gaza Strip, (August 2010)
14 Save the Children UK, Fact Sheet: Gaza Buffer Zone, (October 2009).

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decreased by 47 per cent, which is insufficient to meet the increasing demands of the fast growing population of
Gaza Strip.15 Nearly 90 per cent of Gaza's 4000 fishermen are now considered either poor or very poor up from
50 per cent in 2008.16

Contamination of Water Resources

The rapid deterioration of water quality in Gaza is having an impact on agricultural yields.17 Due to increasing
water demand, as many as 2,000 additional unlicensed wells have been drilled without permission from the
authorities resulting in over-abstraction from the Coastal Aquifer.18 As a result, the aquifer suffers from
seawater intrusion and saline water intrusion, making the groundwater increasingly saline.19 Young plants are
often unable to adapt to the saline conditions and are unlikely to survive.20
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reports that this problem was exacerbated by the widespread
destruction of mature vegetation and cultivated land during Operation Cast Lead.21 Due to the breakdown of
sanitation facilities in the Gaza Strip, untreated sewage and sludge often seep onto agricultural lands.22 Sewage
leaking into the ground water increases nitrate levels, which can have a negative effect on agricultural
productivity.23 UNEP reports that wells used for agriculture/irrigation (as well as municipal supply) are contaminated
with nitrates. Poor water quality also impacts the health of livestock and birds, and reduces productive capacity.

Damage to Water Systems Necessary for Agriculture

Repeated military incursions have caused extensive damage to water systems necessary for agriculture. It is
estimated that the Israeli military destroyed around 370 agricultural wells and related irrigation networks in the
Gaza Strip during the second Intifada (Palestinian uprising). Of these, only 100 had been rehabilitated by
2008.24 During Operation Cast Lead, damage to agricultural infrastructure, including water and irrigation
networks was estimated at US$ 77.8 million.25 The continued Israeli-imposed blockade on the Gaza Strip
prevents entry of the materials necessary to repair, rehabilitate and maintain infrastructure.
Mohammed Qandil is a farmer in Gaza City. Prior to Operation Cast Lead, he grew a
wide variety of vegetables that he irrigated using an unlicensed well. Mohammed's
farm is next to Gaza City's wastewater treatment plant. During Operation Cast Lead,
the plant was damaged and sewage flooded Mohammed's farmland, filling his well.
It was several months before Mohammed was able to plant crops on his land once
more. However, Mohammed is worried.
"The water I extract from the well looks clean," he says, "but I have been told that it
is contaminated. That must be why some of my plants have died and the crop
harvest is less than I expected. I'm relying on rainfall for irrigation now."
Mohammed is concerned that he will have to rely on the well to irrigate his plants in
the dry months of summer, even though he knows the water might damage them.
(Photo: EWASH) Mohammed Qandil

15 FAO, Farming without land, fishing without water: Gaza agriculture sector struggles to survive, (May 2010).
16 Oxfam Novib, Fishing without sea in Gaza, September 2010.17 World Bank, Assessment of Restrictions on Palestinian
Water Sector Development, (2009).
18 UNEP, Environmental Assessment of the Gaza Strip Following the Escalation of Hostilities in December 2008-January
2009, (September 2009).
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 Ibid.
24 World Bank, (2009), p.32.
25 Agriculture Sector report, Impact of Gaza Crisis, (March 2009), p. 15. .

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EWASH Advocacy Task Force
Impact on Gazas Population
All of the above factors decrease agricultural productivity, which threatens the economic and food security of the
population. According to the Ministry of Agriculture:
"Following Operation Cast Lead, a two year-long blockade, restricted access to vital agricultural areas, prolonged
water stress and deterioration of water quality, the agriculture community in the Gaza Strip remains on the brink
of collapse. In one year alone, the number of people employed in agriculture fell by 60 per cent.26
Without secure livelihoods, Gazan families are thrown deeper into poverty and become increasingly aid dependent.
With limited sources of income, Gazans cannot afford fresh foods or protein-rich animal foods, resulting in an increase
in malnutrition, especially among women, children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups.27

Recommendations
Israel should immediately take measures to ensure that it meets its obligations under international
humanitarian law as an occupying power to ensure the right to food and water in the Gaza Strip.
Israel should lift the blockade, including on materials necessary for agricultural and domestic water supply.
The Israeli blockade on materials required for the repair and upgrading of wastewater treatment plants and
the management of raw sewage should also be lifted.
Israel should lift restrictions on access to land and water resources in the buffer zone for Gaza Strip farmers
and to the sea for fisher folk.
All parties to the conflict in Gaza should be made aware of environmental degradation in the Gaza Strip and
water resources should be removed from the conflict framework.
There should be international and local investment in rural development programmes and policies that will
help increase food security and mitigate the need for food aid in poor households.

This fact sheet was produced by the EWASH Advocacy Task Force: a sub-committee of the EWASH group
(www.ewash.org), in collaboration with the WASH Cluster in the OPT. EWASH represents over 30 organisations
working in water, sanitation and hygiene in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and its members include local and
international NGOs and UN Agencies.
This fact sheet is endorsed by: Al-Dameer Human Rights Organization, Agency for Technical Cooperation and
Development (ACTED), Asamblea de Cooperacin Por la Paz (ACPP); Campaign for the Children of Palestine, CARE
West Bank Gaza, Catholic Relief Services, Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (CISP),
DanChurchAid; Gruppo di Volontariato Civile (G.V.C); House of Water and Environment (HWE); Japan
International Volunteer Centre, Near East Council of Churches-Jerusalem (ICC); Lifesource, MA'AN Development
Centre, Norweigian Refugee Council, Oxfam International, Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC),
Palestinian Environmental NGOs Network (PENGON), Palestinian Hydrology Group (PHG); Polish Humanitarian
Organisation (PHO); Premir Urgence (PU), Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC), Swedish Organisation for
Individual Relief (SOIR), Swiss Interchurch Aid (HEKS EPER).

Updated February 2011

This project is funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO). The views expressed
in this document do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Commission.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION

26 Ministry of Agriculture, The Palestinian Agricultural Sector, Strategic Objectives and Priority
Interventions.
27 FAO, Agricultural Sector Update: Impact of Recent Closure Measures, (7 December 2008).

HUMANITARIAN AID