The Current Israeli War 2023–2025 on the Gaza Strip,Occupied Palestine,Based on Social,Economic,Public Health,Environmental,Geopolitical,and Human Rights’ Perspectives

Geopolitics

The Gaza Strip is part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) that also includes the West Bank that includes East Jerusalem, all of which belong to Historic Palestine. Israel occupied the OPT in June 1967, and since then these territories have been internationally recognized, in accordance with United Nations resolutions and international law, as the OPT (or Occupied Palestinian Territory).

Israel itself was established on May 15, 1948, on 78% of the lands of Historic Palestine, and on June 5, 1967, Israel occupied the rest (22%) of the lands of Historic Palestine. ¹⁸ The Gaza Strip was part of the British Mandate of Palestine until May 15, 1948, that is, until the establishment of the state of Israel on 78% of the lands of Historic Palestine. Between May 1948 and June 1967, the Gaza Strip was under the control of Egypt, while the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) was under the control of Jordan. Since June 5, 1967, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) have entirely become under the Israeli military occupation, in violation of international law and United Nations’ resolutions.

In 1993 and 1995, the Oslo Accords were signed between the government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. These agreements were entirely to the benefit of the Israelis, as the occupied West Bank was divided into three areas (known as Area A, Area B, and Area C), each with its special jurisdictions. ¹⁹ At the same time, the most important issues affecting the Palestinian people remain unresolved. These include (1) the Palestinian refugees who were forced to leave their cities, towns, and villages during the 1948 war; (2) East Jerusalem, which was occupied in June 1967; (3) the water resources and their allocations; (4) hundreds of the Jewish settlements that were illegally built on lands of the occupied West Bank; (5) militarization; and (6) boundaries or borders.^20,21 All these important issues were postponed until later. The question since then was/is: when later? No one knows, as this “later” has extended until now, about 32 years (i.e., from 1993 until now and is still continuing), and nothing positive has happened for the benefit of the Palestinian people in the OPT.

In contrast, the number of illegal Jewish settlements (Fig. 1) doubled, and their “only” Jewish population has reached nearly three quarters of a million.

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FIG. 1.

Development of the Zionist Project over time since 1882 until 2019—Zionist Colonization of Historic Palestine.^a

Palestinian citizens in occupied East Jerusalem and its neighborhoods have been subjected to ethnic cleansing. ²⁴ In addition, Palestinians have become extremely thirsty as Israel controls 87% or more of their legitimate water resources.^25,26 Since June 1967, the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip have been under the complete and strict control of the Israeli occupation authorities and the Israeli Apartheid regime. Between 600 and 700 Israeli military checkpoints are spread throughout the occupied West Bank, ²⁷ which have reached now about 900 military checkpoints, ²⁸ where Palestinians do not enjoy freedom of movement, as their movement is subject to complete control by the Israeli occupation authorities and Jewish settlers. ²⁹ This situation has created an Apartheid regime even within Israel itself, where Indigenous Palestinians are treated, in their homeland, extremely poorly and as second class. ³⁰

Regarding the Gaza Strip, large numbers of Palestinians who fled or were expelled, in May 1948, from their homes in Historic Palestine (what is now known as “Israel”) ended up in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as in exile (such as Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, in addition to many other countries around the world). Accordingly, since 1948, there have been eight Palestinian refugee camps in the Gaza Strip with a population of 1.4 million people, constituting more than 60% of the Strip’s population, ³² which (total Gaza Strip’s population) now amounts to about 2.3 million people. ³³

The Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip were dismantled in 2005 during the government of Ariel Sharon (then prime minister), and since 2006 the entire Gaza Strip has been under Israeli siege from the air, land, and sea. That is, nothing enters the Gaza Strip and nothing comes out of it. Accordingly, the Gaza Strip has turned into a large prison for approximately 2.3 million people over the last 17 years and is still continuing, as the Israeli occupation authorities impose destructive inhumane punishment measures on the people of the Gaza Strip. ³⁴ The Israeli blockade and sanctions have severely destroyed all aspects of Palestinian life in the Gaza Strip. This means that food, medicine, fuel, building materials, etc. have been not allowed to enter the Gaza Strip, which led to the death of many people, especially during the period of the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). ³⁵ Among the dead were children, women, and the elderly. In addition, cancer patients in the Gaza Strip suffer from many hardships imposed on them by the Israeli occupation authorities.^36,37 For more information on the inhumane situation in the Gaza Strip, even before the latest current war of 2023–2025, see, for example, the European report on human rights ³⁸ , as well as the data provided by Reliefweb. ³⁹

The Israeli political establishment is openly discussing how to conduct a mass transfer of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.^40,41 Recently, The U.S. President Donald Trump, in support of the demands of the Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, has called for mass transfer of the Palestinian citizens from their homes in the Gaza Strip, which is considered a “war crime,” according to the Geneva Convention and international law.^42,43,44,45 While the internal forced displacement of some 2 million Palestinian citizens of the Gaza Strip has been carried out through evacuation orders and bombings of their homes, the desire to see this displacement become permanent, including expelling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip entirely, has sparked calls for the Gaza Strip to become unfit (or unviable and uninhabitable for housing). As Giora Eiland, former head of Israel’s National Security Council, wrote in a recent article:

Starving the people of the Gaza Strip and the widespread environmental damage contribute to creating such conditions, facilitating the displacement of Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip. Furthermore,

Hundreds of Gazans died from starvation while trying to collect aid, and

Since this study provides a deeper understanding of the situation in the Gaza Strip during the 2023–2025 war, one can imagine the consequences of this war on the Gaza Strip that has been ongoing since October 2023 and has not yet ended. Accordingly, this study paves the way for more future studies on the Gaza Strip, with regard to the current war, taking into account that this study focuses on the conditions of the Gaza Strip resulting from the devastating 2023–2025 Israeli aggression and the devastating war of genocide and ethnic cleansing, in light of several impacts.

Location, area, and demography

The Gaza Strip is located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel (part of Historical Palestine) to the north and Egypt to the south (Fig. 2). On average, the Gaza Strip is 33 km long and 11 km wide, and its total area is 365 km², which constitutes only 6.1% of the area of the OPT, amounting to 6,000 km² occupied in 1967 and only 1.35% of the area of Historic Palestine, which is 27,000 km². The population of the Gaza Strip is about 2.3 million people, as mentioned above, with a population density of about 5,500/km², and thus, it is one of the highest population densities, if not the highest ever, in the world. ⁵⁰ The population of the Gaza Strip lives (or more accurately, used to live until October 2023) in five governorates across the Strip, including, from north to south: North Gaza, Gaza, Middle Area (or Central District), Khan Yunis, and Rafah (Fig. 2).

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FIG. 2.

Map of Historic Palestine (on the left) and of the Gaza Strip (on the right) showing the five governorates of the Gaza Strip.^a

The devastating, genocidal, and ethnic cleansing 2023–2025 Israeli war on the Gaza Strip

Since December 2008/January 2009, Israel has launched five devastating wars on the Gaza Strip; the last of which is the 2023–2025 current one, which is still ongoing. Many observers around the world have described this war as an “atrocity” and “war of genocide and ethnic cleansing.” The South African government accused Israel of committing acts of “genocide,” aiming at “destroying a large part of the Palestinian national, racial, and ethnic group.” The South African government has urged the United Nations’ International Court of Justice (ICJ), based in The Hague, The Netherlands, to order Israel to “immediately suspend” its military operations in the Gaza Strip and allow humanitarian access to reach civilians there. ⁵¹ Accordingly, ICJ issued its ruling on the upcoming decision, which was taken by a panel of 17 judges. The ICJ ordered six temporary measures to protect Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. These measures were approved by an overwhelming majority of judges.^52,53

Meanwhile, their hands were tied and their emergency vehicles were buried with them under the sands of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. ⁵⁷ As writing this research article, it is hard to follow up with the developing massacres that are happening on a daily basis in the Gaza Strip. For example, on April 2, 2025, Israel killed 19 Gazans many of whom were children with their mothers, while waiting for medical treatment at the UNRWA clinic in the Jabaliya refugee camp, north of the Gaza Strip. ⁵⁸

Israel has a huge military apparatus. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance 2023, Israel has 169,500 active military personnel in the army, navy, and paramilitary forces. Another 465,000 soldiers make up the reserve forces, while 8,000 individuals are part of the paramilitary forces. Just before the 2023–2025 Israeli war started, an Israeli military spokesman said that about 300,000 Israeli soldiers are now stationed near the Gaza Strip to conduct ground operations. ⁵⁹ Since October 8, 2023, every 30 seconds, Israeli artillery has been shelling a barely visible target somewhere in the Gaza Strip. ⁶⁰

Furthermore,

Given the fact that Israeli weapons used against the Palestinian people in the OPT, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and against the Lebanese people in southern Lebanon, are manufactured and originated in the United States to a large extent and sent free of charge to Israel for use against Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, and Yemeni Arabs in their home-countries (Table 1). In addition, some of the weapons used against the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, southern Lebanon, and other areas in the Arab region are Israeli-made (Table 1), representing the

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Table 1.

All Ground Forces Units Participating in the Israeli Massacres in the Gaza Strip Began Testing Several New Technological Weapons and Munitions Developed by the Israeli Defense Industry and the American Arms Industry for Use, for the First Time, Against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT, Including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank that Includes East Jerusalem), as Well as Against the Lebanese People in Southern Lebanon, and Against Syrians, Yemenis, and Other Arabs in the Arab Region^a,b,c,d

Weapon	Description
The 7.62-mm Negev machine gun	Capable of buildings penetration.
Holit and Yated shoulder-fired rockets	40% more accurate than the shoulder-launched 90 mm Lao and Matador missiles. Can be used to hit armored vehicles and precision targets inside buildings. 50% larger than the 10 kg Lao and Matador missiles, with greater range and explosive power, and more effective in urban warfare.
A new, precision-guided 120-mm mortar shell known as the Iron Sting or Steel Sting	Weighs 17 kg (37 pounds), operates with a laser and a GPS (global Positioning System) , and characterized by high accuracy in hitting targets.
The 10-km range mortar shell	Has the ability to penetrate 20 cm of concrete, and because of its guidance system, it reduces civilian casualties. Targets detected by a guided mortar can be destroyed with a single shot, without the need to contact the fire control center or make adjustment shots.
Dagger developed by the Israeli company Smart Shooter based on the SMASH electro-optic, algorithm-based fire control system	Tracks the target and alerts the shooter to the perfect shooting moment. Can be attached to the barrel of any type of rifle and automatically detects and locks in drone-like targets (UAV—Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) in the sky, calculating their flight direction and speed. Claimed to be 350% more accurate than other military technologies.
The U.S. Lockheed Martin-made M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), which can carry 12 rockets, using AccuLAR-122 guided missiles	Elbit Systems’ AccuLAR-122 high-precision-guided missiles were used in the Gaza Strip in the current war 2023–2025 that started in October 2023, and have been used by Israel against Palestinians and Lebanese since 2006.
The missiles, dubbed “Romach”	Carry a warhead weighing 20 kg and have a range of up to 40 km.
The Israeli-made fifth-generation Merkava type “Barak” (Lightning) tank	Israel used this tank for the first time in the Gaza Strip after adding it to its inventory in September 2023. The most important feature of this tank is the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Barak tank commander receives features similar to pilot helmets from Elbit Systems, which provide F-35 pilots with real-time information analysis. Through the system called “Iron Vision,” the tank commander can see his surroundings 360 degrees as if the Armor were transparent and he controls all of the tank’s systems by pressing a button in front of his eyes. Another feature of the Barak is the “Throphy” active defense system that provides 360 degree protection against anti-tank missiles. It has similar firepower to previous Merkava tanks. The tank is equipped with a 120-mm smoothbore gun with a range of up to 4 km, two 7.62-mm machine guns, and a 60-mm mortar.
The “Namer 1500” (Leopard) armored personnel carrier (APC)	Israel has used it for the first time in the Gaza Strip during this current 2023–2025 war. Has a 1,500 horsepower engine and is controlled via touch screens. The new “Namer,” which is based on the chassis of the Merkava tank, has more advanced Armor than the fourth generation Markava tanks. Equipped with a remotely controlled combat station containing a 12.7-mm heavy machine gun, and has the “Throphy” active defense system. Israel has reached an agreement with Oshkosh Defense to produce hundreds of “Namer 1500” vehicles worth more than USD 100 million, which will be financed with American assistance. Note: Oshkosh Defense is a global leader in the design, production, and sustainment of best-in-class military vehicles and mobility systems, headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA.
The “Eitan 8X8” wheeled armored personnel carrier	Used by Israel for the first time at the Zikim training base and later in the Gaza Strip. Was produced by the Israeli Ministry of Defense to replace the M113s. With a crew of three, the vehicle transports personnel and weapons. Comes with 30-mm automatic cannon, 12.7-mm anti-aircraft gun, and 7.62-mm machine gun. Features the “Iron Fist” active protection system developed by Elbit Systems, which includes target detection radar, launcher, and counter systems against anti-tank missiles. Note: Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international military technology company and defense contractor based in Israel. Founded in 1966 by Elron Elbit Systems, is the main supplier of ground equipment to the Israeli army and unmanned aerial vehicles.
American-made F-15, F-35, and F-16 fighter jets	In addition to the ground weapons mentioned above, Israel uses American-made fighter jets, including the F-15, F-16, and F-35 in its devastating wars against the 2.3 million populations in the Gaza Strip. The American jets, used by Israel in its air campaign against the Gaza Strip, are the primary cause of much of human suffering. These jets have reduced large parts of the land, infrastructure, and buildings in the Gaza Strip to rubble. They have also killed and injured hundreds of thousands of the Gaza population, mainly women, children, and elderly, whereas many other thousands are still missing under the rubble.
AFSC (2024): According to the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC 2024), the following arms producing companies in Israel, the United States, United Kingdom (UK), Germany, China, South Korea, and other countries of the world support and supply Israel with all types of weapons: (1) AeroVironment (a military drone manufacturer headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, USA); (2) Agilite (a private Israeli manufacturer of tactical gear and body Armor); (3) AM General (a manufacturer of military vehicles based in South Bend, Indiana, USA); (4) BAE Systems (the world’s seventh largest weapons manufacturer, UK); (5) The Boeing Company (the world’s fifth largest weapons manufacturer, producing F-15 fighter jets and Apache AH-64 attack helicopters, USA); (6) Caterpillar (it has been supplying Israel with the D9 armored bulldozers, USA); (7) Colt’s Manufacturing Company (makes firearms, including the M16, USA); (8) Day & Zimmermann (a privately owned munitions manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA); (9) DJI (a privately owned Chinese commercial drone manufacturer, China); (10) Elbit Systems (Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer. It is one of the primary suppliers of weapons and surveillance systems to the Israeli military, including Skylark and Hermes military UAV drones, Israel); (11) Emtan Karmiel (privately held Israeli firearm manufacturer, Israel); (12) Flyer Defense (a private Los Angeles-based manufacturer of military tactical vehicles, USA); (13) Ford Motor Company (a U.S. automaker whose commercial pickup trucks are armored and retrofitted for the Israeli military by AM General, Oshkosh, USA); (14) General Dynamics (the world’s sixth largest weapons manufacturer, supplying Israel with artillery ammunition and bombs, USA); (15) General Electric (the world’s 25th largest weapons manufacturer, producing T700 Turboshaft engines for Boeing‘s Apache helicopters, USA); (16) General Motors (provides engines and transmission units for multiple vehicles used by the Israeli military, USA); (17) The Hoplite Group (a Florida-based company that serves as a contractor for multiple U.S. government agencies, including its Foreign Military Sales program, USA); (18) HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (Hyundai, South Korea; the world’s largest shipbuilding company and a major heavy equipment manufacturer, producing track excavators and other machinery that have been used to demolish Palestinian homes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories); (19) InfiniDome (a private Israeli manufacturer of GPS protection and navigation systems for drones, USA); (20) Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI: a large Israeli state-owned weapons manufacturer, making multiple weapons systems specifically for the Israeli military, including the Heron TP killer drone, Israel); (21) J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB, USA): Heavy machinery has been used for years to demolish Palestinian homes, farmlands, and infrastructure and to construct illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT); (22) L3Harris Technologies (the world’s ninth largest weapons manufacturer, producing components that are integrated into multiple weapons systems used by the Israeli military in the OPT, including Boeing’s JDAM kits, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 warplane, and other weapons, USA); (23) Leonardo (Italy’s largest weapons manufacturer that produce the Oto Melara 76/62 Super Rapid 76 mm naval guns installed on the Israeli Navy’s Sa’ar warships, Italy); (24) Leupold & Stevens (a U.S.-based maker of scopes, sights, and binoculars. Its telescopic rifle scopes are widely used by Israeli military sniper units, USA); (25) Lockheed Martin (the world’s largest weapons manufacturer, USA, that supplies Israel with F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, which Israel has been using extensively to bomb Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Israel also uses the company’s C-130 Hercules transport planes to support the ground invasion of Gaza Strip; (26) MDT Armor, Israel (owned by Israeli company Shladot, makes the David Urban Light Armored Vehicle, the standard patrol and reconnaissance vehicle used by the Israeli military and routinely used in human rights violations in the OPT); (27) Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Germany (a German automaker that produces Arocs trucks and sent to the Israeli military, which uses them to transport its Merkava tanks as well as other heavy armored vehicles and bulldozers); (28) Next Vision (an Israeli startup that manufactures cameras for weapons’ systems. These highly advanced cameras are installed on soldiers, dogs, and drones manufactured by major weapons companies like Elbit Systems, Israel); (29) Nordic Ammunition Company, USA (Nammo; the maker of the M141 Bunker Defeat Munition, a shoulder-fired “bunker-buster” rocket used by the Israeli military in the OPT); (30) Northrop Grumman (the world’s sixth largest weapons manufacturer, Northrop Grumman supplies the Israeli Air Force with the Longbow missile delivery system for its Apache attack helicopters and laser weapon delivery systems for its fighter jets, Virginia, USA); (31) Oshkosh (specialty truck manufacturer headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Oshkosh manufactures the hulls for the Eitan, Israel’s newest armored personnel carrier, USA); (32) Palantir Technologies (a Denver Colorado-based high-tech mass surveillance company that has been providing its AI-powered tools to the Israeli security forces as well as the U.S. military, immigration authorities, and police departments, USA; (33) Plasan (a private Israeli military vehicle manufacturer that makes the SandCat light armored vehicle for the Israeli military. At least some of these vehicles are manufactured at the company’s factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA); (34) Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (a large Israeli state-owned weapons manufacturer, making missiles, drones, and other weapons systems for the Israeli military, Israel); (35) Renk Group, Germany (a German manufacturer of transmissions, engines, and vehicle suspension systems. It developed the transmission units for Israel’s Merkava 4 and 5 (Barak) battle tanks, as well as the Namer Armored Personnel Carrier, Israel); (36) Rheinmetall AG (Germany’s largest weapons manufacturer, which is providing Israel with 10,000 rounds of 120-mm precision tank ammunition, Germany); (37) Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (it is the world’s 25th largest weapons manufacturer). It is no longer associated with Rolls-Royce cars, which have been manufactured by BMW, Germany, since 1998. The company’s German subsidiary MTU developed the engines for Israel’s Merkava 4 and 5 (Barak) battle tanks used to attack hospitals in the Gaza Strip); (38) RTX (formerly Raytheon; the world’s second largest weapons manufacturer and largest producer of guided missile (Virginia, USA); (39) Shield AI (a drone manufacturer, using Artificial Intelligence technologies (AI), which is headquartered in San Diego, California, USA); (40) Sigmatech, USA (an Alabama-based company that serves as a contractor for multiple U.S. government agencies, including its Foreign Military Sales program. It recruited employees to work for the Israel Significant Initiatives Group); (41) SK Group (a private Israeli company that owns Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) which is a firearms manufacturer that makes the Tavor assault rifle and Negev machine gun, both of which are standard weapons used in the Israeli military, Israel); (42) Skydio (a drone manufacturer headquartered in San Mateo, California, USA, which has sent more than 100 short-range reconnaissance drones to the Israeli military); (43) Smartshooter (an Israeli company that developed the SMASH 2000 L [3000] system, marketed as a “smart sight” for tracking moving targets and used by the Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip); (44) Spear UAV (an Israeli drone startup that developed the Viper “suicide drone,” which can be easily launched from a capsule by infantry soldiers or from an armored vehicle to locate, track, and attack targets by crashing into them and self-destructing, Israel); (45) Textron (a U.S.-based military contractor known for its Bell, Beechcraft, Cessna, and Hawker aircraft brands. The Israeli Air Force 100 Squadron, which has supported Israel’s military ground troops in the Gaza Strip, uses multiple Textron aircraft, including the Beechcraft King Air, Queen Air, RC12-D Guardrail, and Bonanza A-36, USA); (46) ThyssenKrupp (a German engineering company that built the Israeli Navy’s four Sa’ar 6 warships, Germany); (47) Toyota (a Japanese auto maker that manufactures the pickup trucks used by the Israeli military as the basis for the David Urban Light Armored Vehicle, Japan); and (48) XTEND (a privately held Israeli company that manufactures drones, including the Wolverine combat drone that requires no training, Israel). This is in addition to the weapons manufactured and supplied to Israel by many other countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. Meanwhile, some other countries have stopped supplying Israel with weapons, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, and Japan. It is noteworthy to mention that since 1960, the United States alone has supplied Israel with all kinds of weapons worth more than USD 250 billion (Fig. 3 left). This has an annual value of roughly USD 3–4 billion and might rise to USD 5 billion.

a

AFSC (American Friends Services Committee) (2024). The Companies Profiting from Israel’s 2023–2024 Attacks on Gaza. The companies listed here have provided Israel with weapons and other military equipment used in its attacks on Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria between October 2023 and January 2024. https://afsc.org/companies-2023-attack-gaza Retrieved: 6 September 2025.

b

Aktaş A (2024). Anadolu lists weapons tested by Israeli military in Gaza massacre. Israel, which is on trial on charges of genocide at International Court of Justice, tested large number of new weapons, ammunition for 1st time in its onslaught on Gaza since Oct. 7. Update: 18 February 2024. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/anadolu-lists-weapons-tested-by-israeli-military-in-gaza-massacre/3141360 Retrieved: 6 September 2025.

c

Aljazeera (2024). Which countries have stopped supplying arms to Israel? As civilian casualties continue to mount in Gaza, global calls for countries to halt arms sales to Israel grow. 15 February 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/15/which-countries-have-stopped-supplying-arms-to-israel Retrieved: 6 September 2025.

d

Zengerle P (2015). U.S. officials - Israel wants up to $5 billion in annual military aid. Reuters, 4 November 2015. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/u-s-officials-israel-wants-up-to-5-billion-in-annual-military-aid-idUSKCN0ST2SV Retrieved: 25 November 2025.

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FIG. 3.

American military supplies given to Israel. Left: The United States has given to Israel USD 251.2 billion between the years 1959 and 2024; Right: Variations of the U.S. military support to Israel during the period of 1959–2024.^a,b,c,d

Some results and consequences of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip: In brief

In view of the above, it is possible to imagine the extent of the deaths and injuries among the Palestinian citizens in the Gaza Strip, as well as the extent of the destruction and devastation caused by the Israeli occupation forces to the infrastructure, buildings, and people whose tens of thousands of them are still missing under the rubble of those buildings, as a result of the Israeli devastating, genocidal, and ethnic cleansing war since October 2023 (Fig. 4).

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FIG. 4.

Left: Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal area in the Gaza City on October 9, 2023.^a,b Right: The kind of bread eaten by Palestinians in Northern Gaza.^c

More to say,

Readers are advised to watch the embedded videos in the article provided in Reference 63 (Rahim S, Grist 2024), regarding some of the sites before and after the destructive Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine.

As of February 19, 2024, at least 29,092 Palestinians were killed and 69,028 others injured as a result of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October 8, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. ⁶⁵ As of February 27, 2024, at least 29,878 people, mostly women and children, were killed, and another 70,215 injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 8, 2023. ⁶⁶ As of March 6, 2024, at least 30,717 Palestinians were killed and 72,156 wounded in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 8, 2023. ⁶⁷ As of April 4, 2024, at least 32,552 Palestinians were killed and 74,980 wounded in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.^68,69 As of April 2, 2025,

Furthermore, as of August 28, 2025 (the latest update of human losses), at least 62,895 Palestinians have been killed, 158,927 injured, and 20,000 missing, as indicated above. ⁷¹

In addition, until February 2024 more than 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced in the Gaza Strip, as a result of the Israeli war, ⁷² most of them concentrated in Rafah, in southern Gaza Strip (Fig. 2, above). Although these displaced Gazans were forced to leave their homes, they are currently threatened by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet of being attacked by Israeli occupation forces and, thus, being frequently displaced time after time after time.

As Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheál Martin said. ⁷³ Moreover,

As a result of searching for food simply to survive,

The citizens of the Gaza Strip have also been facing famine parallel to the Israeli war launched on October 8, 2023. ⁷⁶ Nearly 5 months after the Israeli aggression against 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, it has become difficult for them to find the minimum amount of food just to keep them alive, due to the exacerbation of the hunger crisis sweeping the Gaza Strip. This is to the point that a loaf of bread has become a rare and expensive commodity, if it exists at all. Security Council Resolution 2417 of May 24, 2018, strongly condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a tactic of war (Fig. 5), the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and the deprivation of civilians of things indispensable for their survival, including deliberately obstructing relief supplies and access to conflict responses related to food insecurity resulting from situations of armed conflict, which constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law. ⁷⁷

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FIG. 5.

What starvation does to the human’s body? 2.3 million Palestinians bombarded, besieged, and starved to death in the Gaza Strip, as they have been facing a genocidal and ethnic cleansing war since October 8, 2023.^a

World leaders are calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the starvation of the 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip by allowing food into the territory, where people are dying from hunger and malnutrition, in addition to the killings caused by the Israeli war. For instance, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called on Israel to allow the United Nations’ World Food Programme to operate in the Gaza Strip, saying

Many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are forced to cook herbs and bake animal feed to satisfy their hunger. ⁸¹ In the face of the famine suffered by the Palestinian population in the northern region of the Gaza Strip, they resorted to purifying grains from rabbit fattening feed for use in making bread, in light of the Israeli starvation policies during its ongoing war since October 8, 2023 (Fig. 4–right, above).

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC 2023–2025), ⁸²

According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), ⁸³

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FIG. 6.

Israel prevents 2.3 million people in the occupied, besieged, and starved to death Gaza Strip from having basic human rightful and basic needs that include food, water, electricity, and fuel.^a

Therefore, many international organizations have warned of a famine hitting the people in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli war of genocide and ethnic cleansing to which 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are exposed.^84,85,86

Some of the effects of the 2023–2025 Israeli War on the citizens of the Gaza Strip, regarding public health and the environment, in particular

When armed conflicts break out, people first focus on those who are mostly affected. However, the suffering of wars is not limited to those who suffer most, and it does not stop when the fighting ends. Wars cause significant damage to the natural environment and the public health of the directly affected population, as well as to the populations geographically located within war zones. In short, wars have severe impacts on public health and the environment, especially if the war zone is small, such as the Gaza Strip, and if the war lasts for a very long time, as is the case with the current Israeli war (2023–2025) on the Gaza Strip, which has so far lasted for nearly 23 consecutive months until September 7, 2025.

Artillery strikes, missiles, and landmines release pollutants, wipe out forests and green cover, destroy biodiversity, contaminate surface water and groundwater resources, contaminate soils, and render agricultural land unusable. Military vehicles consume petroleum-derived fuel at extremely high rates, with vehicles used in war zones producing millions of tons of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), sulfur oxides (SO_x), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), hydrocarbons, and other particulate pollutants. Besides the deterioration of natural resources in war zones, and the radical destruction of green cover, the numbers of animals and birds and their habitats are also greatly affected and probably destroyed, as military conflicts cause habitat loss and decreased biodiversity.

Furthermore, when people have to move in conflict zones during times of war, disruption can add additional environmental damage through plastic and other types of waste. Long-term wars are also described as climate change wars in the world, due to their roots in drought, water pollution and shortages, high rates of water evaporation, and the environmental crisis. While it is difficult to clearly link climate change and armed conflict, climate change is at least an indirect driver of armed conflict, exacerbating existing negative social, economic, and environmental impacts. In contrast, conflicts exacerbate the damage caused by climate change, because they limit people’s ability to respond to or cope with climate shocks. The world’s military forces use fossil fuels extensively, accounting for 5.5% of global emissions. ⁸⁷ If the world military powers are considered as a single country, they would be the fourth largest emitter of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs), after the United States, China, and India. Therefore, military conflicts mean everything that might prevent leading to sustainable development in societies. According to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, Mr. David R. Boyd:

For the people in the Gaza Strip, the destruction of water wells; wastewater treatment plants; and fresh water, sanitation, and electricity infrastructure makes their already difficult lives even more difficult, jeopardizing their rights to the necessities of life, health, food, water, sanitation, and a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Regarding the deteriorating water, food, and energy conditions, and the environmental and health impacts of the current devastating and genocidal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and its 2.3 million Palestinian citizens, the following are some examples of the grave impacts of the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip^89,90: 1.

Destruction of homes, schools, universities, hospitals, mosques, churches, businesses, and infrastructure: In this current devastating Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces have destroyed many sites including all of these sites mentioned in this subtitle. Moreover, during Israel’s numerous wars on the Gaza Strip, including the current devastating war (2023–2025), Israel has extensively destroyed buildings, houses, business high towers, and infrastructure facilities, including sewage treatment plants. Sewage treatment plants and almost all sewage pumping stations in the Gaza Strip have been entirely destroyed by the Israeli occupation forces and, thus, stopped working, according to the international organization—Oxfam, meaning that untreated sewage is now being discharged into the Mediterranean Sea, polluting and killing the marine life. ⁹¹ Air and artillery strikes have hit wastewater infrastructure in 2014, 2021, 2022, and currently in 2023–2025, releasing sewage into the Mediterranean Sea ⁹² and the streets of the Gaza Strip, causing flash floods. ⁹³ Seawater pollution (130,000 m³ of wastewater is discharged into the Mediterranean Sea every day) has very badly affected soil and groundwater storage,^94,95,96 as well as well-being of the coastal marine life in the Gaza Strip, endangering what little food security Palestinians enjoy in the form of the fishing industry.^97,98

Also,

Furthermore, there are high levels of nitrate and chloride contamination in almost 91% of the wells that penetrate the Coastal Aquifer System (CAS) beneath the Gaza Strip (Fig. 7). It appears that sewage inputs are the main source of nitrate contamination, despite the fact that agricultural inputs are very limited and restricted, especially in the Gaza Strip’s sensitive northern regions. OPEN IN VIEWER

Both natural and man-made (anthropogenic) sources, such as inorganic fertilizers, septic tank effluents, landfill leachates, animal feeds, industrial effluents, irrigation drainage, and seawater intrusion in coastal areas such as the Gaza Strip, can generate nitrate and chloride into water supplies. Figure 7 (Left) shows that the concentration of nitrate in Gaza’s CAS ranges from <50 to >300 mg/L, while Figure 7 (Right) shows that the concentration of chloride ranges from <250 to >2000 mg/L. WHO guidelines state that water sources should have no more than 250 mg/L of chloride ¹⁰⁹ and no more than 10 mg/L of nitrates. ¹¹⁰

With an emphasis on water, wastewater, and hygiene; noise pollution; food insecurity; environmental health impacts on vulnerable populations; destruction of health systems and lack of access to care; and the traumatic effects of targeted environmental destruction, recent published research has provided an evidence-based summary of the current environmental conditions in the Gaza Strip, brought on by Israeli bombardment and occupation, which pose serious threats to the population’s short- and long-term health. ¹¹¹ 4.

Agriculture and food: Despite the massive population density in the Gaza Strip, about 25% of the land in the Gaza Strip is arable land, providing Palestinians with some food security and, thus, the ability to withstand the 18-year-old Israeli blockade. ¹¹² In the current attack on the Gaza Strip, this policy has continued. An analysis of satellite imagery by HRW ¹¹³ revealed that Israeli ground forces “systematically” bulldozed Palestinian orchards, fields, and greenhouses, creating a barren wasteland of sand and dirt. Such actions have destroyed Palestinian livelihoods and the recognizable landmarks and environmental features that make the landscape familiar. Depriving the land of its agricultural familiarity and soil fertility makes return more painful and eliminates the motivation of Palestinians to return after displacement. Repeated Israeli wars have also disrupted agriculture and food production in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli (Jewish) settlers have uprooted almost a million of olive trees, and neighboring settlements designated for Jews only dumped untreated sewage on cultivated Palestinian lands.^114,115

Such practices by the Israeli occupation forces and Jewish settlers in the OPT have led to food insecurity, with 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip, in particular, facing increasing hunger, and even famine and starvation, as discussed above.

Currently, all bakeries in the Gaza Strip are closed due to the lack of flour, fuel, water, etc. reaching anywhere in the Strip. What makes food issues even more complex in the Gaza Strip is the reality that Israeli occupation forces are shooting at Palestinians while searching for food to feed their children and themselves. On February 29, 2024, Israel opened fire on Gazan civilians who had gathered to get some food, killing 112 people and wounding 700 others, ¹¹⁷ which was described as a “massacre.” ¹¹⁸ 5.

The Israeli war on education: Since the establishment of its state on the land of Historic Palestine, the Israeli government and its occupation forces have pursued a policy of killing educated Palestinians. The Palestinian researcher and Oxford University Professor—Karma Nabulsi—coined the term “scholasticide” in reference to Israel’s deliberate and systematic destruction of Palestinian educational infrastructure. ¹¹⁹

Before the 2023–2025 current war, about 20,000 patients a year required permits from the Israeli occupation authorities to leave the Gaza Strip to receive health care, many of whom required frequent cross-border trips, and approximately a third of them were children. The Israeli occupation authorities approved about 63% of medical exit requests in 2022, according to the WHO. Health care facilities in the Gaza Strip are under severe pressure during the 19-year blockade imposed by Israel since 2006, in addition to recurring rounds of fighting.^132,133

In addition to the many Palestinian newborn, premature babies who died as a result of the Israeli outrageous war on the Gaza Strip, for different reasons (including air strikes, dehydration, malnutrition, illnesses, cold and hot weather, lack of food and drinking water, famine, power outage, and so forth),

According to UNICEF, more than a million children in the Gaza Strip have been deprived of lifesaving assistance for more than a month. The Israeli blockade of aid continues, in violation of international humanitarian law, with devastating consequences for the children in the Gaza Strip. ¹³⁷ The Gaza Strip is witnessing the largest starvation operation in human history, practiced by the Israeli occupation forces against 2.3 million people in the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip. For nearly 2 months (dated April 26, 2025), the citizens of the Gaza Strip have been suffering from a lack of food, water, and medicine. 11.

Bodies of dead citizens: The bodies of dead citizens (corpses) are scattered in the streets of major cities, small towns, and refugee camps, as well as under the rubble of buildings destroyed by the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 8, 2023. This is at risk of contracting diseases, cholera, immune system disorders, and other diseases spread throughout the Gaza Strip, according to what the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor Observatory (EMM) reported:

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FIG. 8.

Garbage bags seen outside Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza City on October 15, 2023.^a

The decomposition of garbage may lead to groundwater pollution, air pollution, soil pollution, and poisoning of the green cover. For example, after the city of Rafah (south of the Gaza Strip) became a refuge for about 1.5 million Palestinians who were forced to move there, leaving their homes (destroyed mostly) in the entire Gaza Strip, the city of Rafah became a huge dumping ground for various kinds of waste. Rafah municipal authorities warned of an “environmental catastrophe—ecocide” in the city of Rafah, due to the accumulation of piles of solid waste, which was exacerbated by the influx of displaced people who fled to the area due to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October 8, 2023.

Recently, with 23 months of the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip have passed, Gaza’s already limited waste collection infrastructure has been crippled. With access to designated landfills blocked and transportation disrupted by the Israeli fuel’s blockade, hundreds of thousands of tons of solid waste have piled up in the streets, which have been amounted, as mentioned above. 14.

Israel uses artificial intelligence technologies (AITs) to track, attack, and kill Palestinians: The Israeli occupation forces, since they launched the war on the Gaza Strip during the last 18 months and continues, have been using AITs to track, attack, and kill Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. According to a new report published by the New York Times, ¹⁵² over the past 18 months, Israel has combined AITs with facial recognition software to match partially obscured or damaged faces with real identities, used AITs to cluster potential airstrike targets, and created an Arabic-language AITs model to power a chat-bot that can scan and analyze Arabic text messages, social media posts, and other data, according to two people familiar with the programs. Three people familiar with the AITs said many of these efforts were partnerships between conscripted soldiers in the Israeli Intelligence Unit (IIU) 8200 and reservists working for high-tech companies, such as Google, Microsoft, and Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp, etc.). The IIU 8200 has created what has become known as “The Studio,” which is an innovation center and venue for matching experts with AITs projects.

Air pollution caused by particulate matter, resulting from the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip

The WHO defines air pollution as,

In this part of the current research, air pollution has been studied, particularly in relation to the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the effects of the weapons used, heavy bombing, white phosphorus, piles of waste and decomposing bodies of Palestinian citizens killed by the Israeli occupation forces or as a result of illnesses, hunger, and starvation. Air pollution caused by military vehicles and weapons used by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip seriously affects the public health of Gazans, including women, children, and the elderly, while chemicals from weapons will remain in the air for a long period of time. Several media outlets have reported about the Israeli weapons used in the Gaza Strip, which not only kill people but also dissolve the bodies of those killed.

Therefore, medical doctors and health care professionals are called to conduct more research on war-related environmental pollution as a potential contributor to poor health conditions and high rates of infection and spread of various kinds of diseases in the war zones throughout the Gaza Strip.

In war zones, air pollution can be considered a disastrous factor affecting the environment, public health, biodiversity, and water resources, which result in climate change impacts. Globally, military activities are known to produce around 5.5% of global GHG emissions, as mentioned above, while emissions from wars contribute much more to this figure. ¹⁵⁷ GHG emissions from military activities include the production of GHG by military vehicles and weapons, as well as intensive bombing, which entail significant environmental costs (Fig. 9).

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FIG. 9.

Heavy thick smoke resulting from the Israeli bombing of residential neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip.^a

Exposure of people to inhaled toxins from dense clouds of dust and smoke from military vehicles and bombing operations has been associated with respiratory disorders that often prevent exposed people from performing their daily activities.

These bombs used by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip have left behind toxic heavy metals, which not only cause direct harm to humans and can accumulate in the human body but also have environmental longevity, accumulating in food chains and making local food sources toxic, which may result in cancer incidences and cancer death cases at the medium and long runs.^159,160,161

Global military wars that countries wage against each other are among the largest sources of air, water, and soil pollution. Military vehicles used in war zones, which consume large amounts of fuel, produce hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic substances, including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nickel oxide (NiO), hydrocarbons, and others. With regard to air pollution and its effects on public health and the environment, as a result of the current Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, more than 90% of the buildings were partially damaged or completely destroyed, and the environment was subjected to great destruction, as it was affected by soil, water, and air pollution.

Shortly after Israel launched its devastating war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, rivers of sewage, dirty water, and toxic air have caused environmental catastrophes on life in the Gaza Strip and its population. Moreover, garbage is accumulating in the streets and public places and, thus, fears are increasing about the spread of deadly diseases and epidemics among the local population, resulting from soil, water, and air pollution. ¹⁶³ Since garbage began to accumulate in landfills near the camps where people were compelled to dwell in the early months of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, pests have been an issue in the region. Rats and other rodents and vermin have even more control over the permeable living conditions in the Gaza Strip now that the homes of the Gazans have been destroyed and massive piles of rubble are more prevalent than standing buildings.

The vast majority (more than 99%) of the 281,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂ equivalent), estimated to have been produced in the first 60 days during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, can be attributed to Israeli aerial bombardments and ground invasion through the Gaza Strip, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis by researchers in the United Kingdom and the United States. ¹⁶⁵ The data, shared exclusively with the British newspaper—The Guardian, provide the first, albeit conservative, estimate of the carbon cost of the current conflict in the Gaza Strip, which is causing unprecedented human suffering, infrastructure damage, and environmental catastrophe.

During the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip in 2014, tens of thousands of homes were demolished or bombed to ground level, resulting in millions of tons of rubble that polluted the air with fine particulates and dust, potentially causing other types of nuisance by hosting rodents and insects. Heavy machinery, tanks, and artillery penetrated the vicinity of the eastern zone of the Gaza Strip, causing mechanical and chemical damages to the surface soil, groundwater, and green cover. Chemical testing of air quality at sites hosting waste crushers, storage facilities, and removal sites has demonstrated the presence of particulate matter that has resulted in air pollution, several times higher than levels defined by the WHO as acceptable. ¹⁶⁶ The fine particulates causing air pollution, as a result of the 2014 Israeli war, had significant health effects that may have caused increased rates of respiratory diseases, various types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and even premature deaths. Air quality in all areas, where demolition waste remains, should be assessed and monitored for long periods of time, and maps should be created to show the spread of war-related air pollution throughout the Gaza Strip. Children, the elderly, and women may be most vulnerable to air pollution.^167,168

As is the case with all previous Israeli wars on the Gaza Strip, in the current war (2023–2025) Israel bombed the Gaza Strip with thousands of tons of ammunition through air strikes, naval and land artillery, and ground invasions. Israeli occupation forces used many types of bombs and missiles, including illegal weapons such as artillery or rocket-propelled grenades, white phosphorus, dense inert metal explosives, ¹⁶⁹ and depleted uranium (DU). ¹⁷⁰ These bombs cause high levels of human harm (Fig. 10) and air pollution, resulting from deadly chemicals and radioactive materials. A dime is an experimental type of explosive that has a relatively small but effective blast radius. It is manufactured by producing a homogeneous mixture of an explosive (such as HMX or RDX) and small particulates of a chemically inert material such as tungsten.^171,172

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FIG. 10.

A Palestinian child injured by dense inert metal explosives (DIME) used by the Israeli occupation forces during their war on the Gaza Strip in 2014.^a

According to UNICEF (2025),

Furthermore, Israel has been using DU during its several wars against civilians in the Gaza Strip, including the current war of 2023–2025.^174,175

In addition, water supplies in war zones are contaminated with oil used for military vehicles and DU from munitions.

In addition to the above-mentioned impacts and consequences that severely affecting the Gaza Strip and its 2.3 million inhabitants as a result of the Israeli genocidal war since early October 2023 and continuing, the environment has been suffering a catastrophic blow. As news agencies reported, by November 1, 2023 (just about 3 weeks after the beginning of the war), Israel had dropped on the Gaza Strip 18,000 tons of explosives (rockets and giant bombs), some weighing about 910 kg each (2000 pounds) of explosives, during the all-out genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, deliberately targeting entire residential areas,^177,178 which is equivalent to about 1.5 times the catastrophic force unleashed by the United States on Hiroshima during World War II. ¹⁷⁹ As of January 2024, more than 65,000 tons of explosives had been dropped on the Gaza Strip, which exceeds the weight and power of three nuclear bombs such as those dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima,^180,181 and until November 7, 2024, more than 85,000 tons of bombs dropped on the Gaza Strip, ¹⁸² not to mention the Israeli explosive materials used in the previous four wars since 2008/2009.

International human rights’ organizations, including, HRW, Amnesty International, and the EMM, have denounced Israel for its use of white phosphorus against the population of the Gaza Strip.^184,185

When exposed to air, the chemicals in white phosphorus burn at extremely high temperatures—enough to burn metal and bone—and often ignite fires in areas where they spread, affecting the environment. The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says white phosphorus can slowly accumulate in the bodies of people and greatly damage them, as well as wildlife and marine life. ¹⁸⁶ White phosphorus has the ability to react with water, thus producing the chemical phosphine gas, which is harmful to the liver, central nervous system, and lungs and which also leads to respiratory damage, organ failure, and other horrific, life-altering, and difficult injuries, including burns that are very difficult to treat or death that can result from exposure to white phosphorus.

According to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor:

As indicated above, Israeli forces used advanced AIT-powered weapons to maximize casualties while maintaining target accuracy in their attack on the Gaza Strip. ¹⁸⁹ In its recent attacks, Israel has used the Gaza Strip and its 2.3 million people to test weapons powered by AITs’ software in its air and naval systems, as well as smart munitions, as indicated in Table 1. The killing of innocent civilians, in their way searching for food and their destroyed homes in the Gaza Strip, and the killing of seven members of the international organization—World Central Kitchen, and many other people such as emergency and health care workers, have been probably carried out with the assistance of AITs applications.

Furthermore,

Nearly everything has been destroyed by the Israeli occupation forces, who, according to military analysts, are targeting high-rise buildings in Gaza City to lessen the number of troops they would lose if they advanced on the ground and to create “panic and fear” among the civilian population, which also gives them a psychological advantage. As the skyline is demolished, citizens feel shocked, confused, dreadful, and terrified since they cannot see the future or the end of this devastating, ethnic cleansing, and genocidal war against the Palestinian Indigenous population in the Gaza Strip.^193,194