Starting from the modern-day West Bank, Jesus rode his donkey westward around the Mount of Olives toward Jerusalem for what would be his Last Supper. As he passed through the ancient olive groves that blanketed the hillsides, he would have been surrounded by the rich natural life of the Levant.
Nestled between the Eastern Mediterranean and the Arabian Desert, the Levant encompasses modern-day Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel, and Cyprus. For thousands of years, this fertile region has teemed with life, offering its inhabitants a generous bounty from both land and sea. The clear Mediterranean waters provided a menu of fish such as tuna, seabream, grouper, and mackerel, while inland, a vibrant array of plants and animals – known collectively as the Levantine fauna – flourished among the groves, fields, and hills.
Yet today, amid the chaos of modern conflict, these once-generous lands are being scarred and tormented, most notably in Gaza. Much like the Palestinian people themselves, the animals are being driven out or killed.
Historically, at night, along the 24-mile-long Gazan coastline, loggerhead and green turtles would annually crawl through sand, dig a hole, and lay eggs. The night sky gives cover to the notoriously shy breeders. Those same sands today no longer provide hospitality to the turtles; instead, they give refuge to a displaced human population.
In an Al Jazeera piece, Palestinian Journalist Eman Alhaj Ali described the current state of where sand meets water.
“When we reached the beach in az-Zawayda, there was no joy to be found. Instead, we saw pale, wrinkled faces filled with sorrow and despair. The shoreline was crowded, but not with beachgoers. Starved, exhausted people who had lost homes, loved ones and hope were living in tents in inhumane conditions.
Alhag Ali continued, “The beach did not have almost any infrastructure to sustain the thousands of people camped on it. There were makeshift toilets that provided almost no privacy and that radiated foul odor, especially at night. Fresh water was difficult to find and we had to walk long distances to get just a gallon. Diseases, including diarrhea, hepatitis, and flu, were rampant – and so were pests like flies and scorpions. The whole place was covered in garbage.”
In addition, Gazan fishermen are now targets of severe Israeli attacks. Discouraged from going offshore in search of larger fish, they hang close to shore, limited to a less productive fishery. Runoff pollution from destroyed infrastructure undoubtedly leaches into the sea, poisoning the water.
The United Nations wrote, “After 7 October 2023, the Israeli military changed its conduct toward Gaza’s fishers. While prior to 7 October 2023 fishers were restricted to operating within limited and fluctuating zones offshore of the Gaza coast, since the escalation of hostilities fishers have faced blocked access to the sea and their livelihoods through systematic attacks by the Israeli military, all without the sea being designated as a combat zone.”
As for the skies, the Levant acts as a major flyway for migratory birds. Situated between Eurasia and Africa, transient flyers hug the coastline as they rest and refuel on their journey. According to the Palestine Wildlife Society, “More than 500 million birds pass over the Middle East twice a year in the autumn and spring migration.”
Sand dunes, wetlands, and agriculture fields all support the biannual trips. In particular, the Wadi Gaza Coastal Wetlands is a massive concern. UNESCO reports, “Wadi Gaza is considered one of the most important coastal wetlands located on the Eastern Mediterranean Basin, very rich in biological diversity (both flora and fauna). The wadi is also a station point for the migratory routes from north to south and from south to north.”
The continued Israeli bombings since October of 2023 have directly affected a portion of the Wadi, and with the destruction of infrastructure throughout Gaza, sewage and saltwater have progressively encroached into the wetlands.
Reports of poaching circulate as an estimated 2.1 million Gazans survive among the wreckage. Succumbing to starvation and malnutrition, the population continues to face famine conditions, the loss of livestock, and restricted aid.
The New Arab tells the story of a Gazan man named Tariq Al-Sheikh. Out of desperation, Al-Sheikh has taken up trapping wild birds to provide protein for his family and to make money at the market. Left with few options, the 32-year-old man patiently waits for an unsuspecting sparrow to fly into his net. Al-Sheikh acknowledged the concern of continued Israeli hostility and the possibility of losing his life.
The environmental outlook for the Palestinians is bleak, in particular the Gazans. As current events evolve, bombs continue to drop, and poverty worsens. Heavy metals from munitions continue to pollute the land and water. The destruction of infrastructure leaves little room for wildlife to thrive, as rubble now litters the landscape.
Sirens, explosions, and the displacement of people have replaced olive groves. The living animals are likely to be picked off by a starving population, and the fauna that provided protection for wildlife is a fraction of what it once was.
