Less than five per cent of Gaza’s cropland can be cultivated due to damage and access restrictions, “further deteriorating food production capacity and exacerbating the risk of famine in the area”, according to a UN assessment published, Reuters reports.

“This level of destruction is not just a loss of infrastructure it is a collapse of Gaza’s agrifood system and of lifelines,” said Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, which produced the assessment alongside the UN Satellite Centre (Unosat).