Due to war, under 5% of Gaza cropland useable for farming: UN

Paris: Under five percent of Gaza s farmland is useable due to war, further exacerbating the risk of famine in the devastated Palestinian territory, t...

Paris: Under five percent of Gaza's farmland is useable due to war, further exacerbating the risk of famine in the devastated Palestinian territory, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said Monday.

Israel has stepped up a renewed offensive to destroy Hamas in Gaza, drawing international condemnation as aid trickles in following a nearly three-month blockade that has sparked severe food and medical shortages.

By the end of April, more than 80 percent of the farmland was damaged and 77.8 percent was no longer accessible, leaving barely 4.6 percent of potentially arable land, according to a new satellite assessment released by FAO.

Some 688 hectares (1,700 acres) is all that remains for cultivation, according to the assessment.

The situation is particularly critical in southern Gaza's Rafah and in some northern areas, where nearly all cropland is not accessible.