UNOSAT Gaza Strip Agricultural Damage Assessment - December 2023

UNOSAT code: CE20231007PSE This map illustrates satellite-detected changes in agricultural areas of the Gaza Strip resulting from the decline in the health and density of crops due to the ongoing conflict. UNOSAT conducted an analysis utilising satellite imagery collected by the Sentinel-2 satellite between December 2017 and 2023, performing a Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analysis as well as a multi-temporal classification to identify notable changes taking place in agricultural areas during that timeframe. The methodology evaluated the damage as a substantial decline in the health and density of crops in December 2023, in comparison to the preceding six seasons spanning from 2017 to 2022. The decline in the health and density of the crops can be observed due to the impact of activities such as razing, heavy vehicle activity, bombing, shelling, and other conflict-related dynamics. The analysis takes into account the damage that affects both active crop fields, fallow lands, and a multitude of household gardens. UNOSAT analysis shows that the agricultural extent in the Gaza Strip is estimated to be 185 sq. km, accounting for approximately 50% of the total area of Gaza. Compared to the average of the previous 6 years, approximately 18% of the arable land in the Gaza Strip has exhibited a significant decline in health and density in November 2023. Furthermore, the analysis shows that there has been a significant increase in damage to the arable land in the North Gaza Governorate, with around 39% of its land being impacted. Additionally, there has been an increase in agricultural land damage in the Gaza Governorate, rising from 17% to 27% between imagery collected on November 2023 and December 2023. This is a preliminary analysis and has not yet been validated in the field.