The Israel-Hamas war that started on October 7 carries with it the potential dangers to the country's environment and public health, as well as community resilience, according to a team of experts from the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel.
"While we think that the most important issues today are winning the war and bringing our hostages home," said Maya Sadeh, who led the research with Dr. Rakefet Shafran-Nathan, "we think it is important to understand the environmental impact."
Sadeh said that the 21-page study, raising concerns about the war's impact on water, energy, fuel, hazardous materials storage, food security, air pollution, and nature and wildlife, is meant to capture the attention of Israeli policymakers and the public. The objective is to highlight potential hazards in these domains, emphasizing the possible risks to public health and resilience of the Gaza border area population.
Drinking water
"Drinking water is a strategic resource in wartime," the researchers said. However, Israel cannot guarantee at least 2 million residents and 30% of the country's hospitals clean water during an emergency.
Israel has grown dependent on desalinated water and, therefore, neglected water supply from wells, including 500 inactive wells that have been closed due to pollution with no attempt at rehabilitation.
"These water sources should be available in emergencies, when it may not be possible to desalinate water," the researchers said, noting that since October 7, there has been a "fear of a shortage of chlorine necessary to purify drinking water."
Furthermore, the breakdown in the sewage treatment facility in Gaza exacerbates the situation. The untreated sewage flows into the Mediterranean Sea and from there to the coast of Israel, particularly the beaches of Ashkelon and Zikim.
"The flow of untreated sewage to the beaches may lead to an infestation of flies and mosquitoes and to diseases that spread through physical contact or bathing in water that is polluted with pathogens," the researchers said, adding that "excess biological material in the water also adversely affects the quality of water or the consumption of energy by the desalination facilities along the coast."
Sadeh explained that sewage can be contaminated with infectious agents that may cause diseases in Gaza because of sanitary conditions. These diseases could spread to soldiers fighting in the enclave and make their way to Israel.
Food security
The flight of thousands of foreign workers from Gaza and northern border communities and the displacement of tens of thousands of residents, many of them farmers, could harm Israel's fresh food supply, the study showed.
For instance, in peaceful times, farmers in the Gaza area contributed 70% of Israel's tomato production and 35% of its potato output. Their output has decreased due to the challenge of replacing workers who left, leading them to seek assistance from local and international volunteers. Moreover, the Iron Dome system, designed to intercept missiles, doesn't protect farmland -- "open spaces" -- leaving fields vulnerable. The recent barrage of thousands of rockets has inflicted severe damage on agriculture in Israel's periphery.
The study also revealed that military staging areas and fires have contributed to dirt and dust, negatively impacting cotton cultivation in Israel's south, where approximately 5.7% of the land in the Gaza border area is dedicated to growing cotton.
Additionally, the war has inflicted considerable economic harm on dairy farms in the region, which generally supply milk to all of Israel's dairy manufacturers. This includes damage to livestock and the physical infrastructure.
Looking toward the North, 70% of the country's chicken coops, contributing to 73% of the national output, are situated in the Galilee and Golan. Furthermore, 26% of deciduous and subtropical fruits, such as avocados, wine grapes, mangos, peaches, bananas, and citrus fruits, are grown in the regional authorities along the northern border.
The region encompassing the dunes adjacent to Nativ Ha'asara and Zikim, the Maktesh Reserve in Be'eri, and various open spaces and nature reserves along the border have experienced adverse effects due to the conflict. According to the research, extended military operations are expected to result in soil contamination by toxic metals, including lead, arsenic, mercury, and copper, along with the presence of fuels and other organic compounds.
The contamination poses a potential threat to agriculture, as these toxins can infiltrate and adversely impact farming practices.
"Before any rehabilitation of the area, it will be essential to survey the status of the land for signs of pollution, and, if necessary, purify and rehabilitate it," the researchers said.
The large-scale activity of bulldozers and armored vehicles also endangers the natural habitats of plants and animals unique to dune environments.
Hazardous materials
There are 3,700 stores of hazardous materials in Israel. More than 3 million Israelis live in areas where they could be susceptible to a hazardous material leak as a result of war, according to the study.
In May 2021, a storage unit owned by the Energy Infrastructure Company was struck by a rocket, igniting a fire that persisted for several days. The result was severe air pollution that caused residents to complain of unpleasant odors, irritated eyes, and respiratory challenges.
The report said six out of nine firefighting stations with hazardous material units do not meet the firefighter training standards for dealing with hazardous materials events. Moreover, the report found that the response time of those trained units is nearly double the global standard. As such, a hazardous materials event would likely
to endanger human life, destroy buildings and infrastructure, pollute the atmosphere, ground and water, harm agriculture, cause economic damage, and more, they said.
Oil spills
The Ministry of Environmental Protection approved an increase in crude oil being moved through the Gulf of Eilat for local use during the war and for two weeks after hostilities end – whenever that may be.
The researchers said that this decision increases the chances of an oil spill, which would damage the ocean environment, harm tourism, and potentially even require the closure of the city's desalination plant.
"This danger is ever present but is especially serious under the current conditions of rocket fire and unmanned drones fired from Yemen," the authors wrote.
Funding cuts
Finally, funds meant to be used for environmental protection and cleanup and to counter the impacts of climate change have been diverted toward the war efforts. For example, a portion of the residential tax usually earmarked for waste segregation and management was cut significantly.
"At the beginning of November, the government decided to borrow NIS 820 million from the fund to compensate reserve duty soldiers," wrote the researchers. "Apart from the fact that this stands in opposition to the Maintenance of Cleanliness Law, and the funding was not for this purpose, using more than half of the fund for purposes other than its intended use will delay the program's implementation for waste management."
Sadeh said that while people die from war in Israel, a large percentage of deaths in the country are preventable if the government invested more in the environment. She said 74% of carcinogenic substances are emitted from solid waste in Israel, and diverting funds from waste management, even during wartime, could have a negative impact.
"The impact of insufficient investment in civil issues will also cost lives," Sadeh said.
She told the Post that the country does not yet have a good assessment of the environmental damages of the actual act of war – for example, hazardous materials from missiles that may be dispersed in various areas. There are studies worldwide, Sadeh said, that demonstrated that in war zones, there are more hazardous substances in general that may get into the soil and disrupt the food chain or cause other damage.
"To prevent an environmental disaster, the agencies that preserve the environment must be strengthened and allowed to recruit manpower and given authority and budget to advance legislation and to increase routine enforcement," Sadesh concluded.
"In the rehabilitation of the Gaza border area and its redevelopment, special attention should be paid to health and environmental issues, to preserving open spaces, which have tremendous importance in the resilience of residents upon their return to their homes. The rebuilding of these settlements is an opportunity to plan the physical environment and sustainable social and environmental infrastructures."
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