Turkish Leader Warns Gaza Food Crisis at COP31 as 97% of Trees Lost
The Turkish leader told the Antalya climate summit that environmental damage in the Palestinian territory is severe and ongoing.
By Nadia Rahman ·
Only 3% of cropland in Gaza remains available for use, a figure Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cited to world leaders on Wednesday. He used the statistic to argue that the Israel-Hamas war constitutes an ecocide, a claim that drew applause from delegates at the U.N. climate summit in Antalya, Turkey. The summit, known as COP31, is currently hosting more than 70 world leaders and senior government officials.
Erdogan described the physical destruction of the Palestinian territory, noting that centuries-old olive trees had been cut down and that soil and water sources were polluted. He stated that cities had been reduced to piles of rubble, creating conditions where recent torrential rains and flooding inundated tens of thousands of tents and shelters. The president asked the Israeli government to allow greater access for humanitarian aid, a request made while Israel, which was not invited to the summit, remained silent.
The environment in Gaza has deteriorated sharply since the war began in October 2023. A 2025 report from the U.N. Environment Program found that by May of that year, remote sensing data showed 97% of tree crops, 82% of annual crops, and 95% of shrubland had been damaged. The report also indicated that the conflict had nearly eliminated fishing livelihoods by contaminating marine ecosystems with munitions and waste.
Local officials confirm the dire situation on the ground. Mohammed Usrof, executive director of the Palestinian Institute for Climate Strategy, said that the remaining 3% of cropland is for a population of 2 million people. He warned that ignoring these losses undermines the food supply and the ability of residents to stay on their land. In the past week, at least four people died when a sand embankment collapsed on their shelter during heavy rainfall.
The relationship between Ankara and Jerusalem remains tense. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Erdogan an antisemitic tyrant in September during a speech at the U.N. General Assembly. Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Erdogan's remarks at COP31. The U.S., China, and India, all key climate players, are absent from the current session of talks.
A U.N.-backed panel of experts concluded last year that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, a finding Israel denies while accusing the panel of antisemitism. The local health authorities in Gaza, part of the Hamas-run government, report that more than 74,000 people have been killed in the Israeli retaliatory offensive. They state that women and children make up nearly half of the dead.
Climate experts at the summit emphasized that the damage extends beyond the immediate conflict. Ghiwa Nakat, executive director at Greenpeace MENA, told the Associated Press that contaminated soil and groundwater could threaten public health for generations. She noted that the environmental damage will not end when the war does, citing the collapse of essential infrastructure for water and sewage treatment.
Delegates at COP31 are currently negotiating concrete steps to curb global warming following a year of deadly floods and heat waves. The summit continues in Antalya with formal talks aimed at securing agreement on climate action, while the environmental crisis in Gaza serves as a prominent example of the intersection between conflict and climate change.
