Wadi Gaza is a wetland south of Gaza City and just north of the Middle Governorate. Its tributaries are found in the mountains beside Hebron and the upper Negev. It is one of the very few areas in Gaza with potential as a nature reserve. It is under severe stress from 16,000 cubic meters of raw sewage from Gaza's Middle Governorate pumped through it daily, dumping of solid waste, lack of water flow from Israel due to dams, and most significantly, land conversion. Its situation is deteriorating everyday. It was once a site of significant biodiversity, including migratory birds.

A wastewater treatment plant, currently out for tender, may solve the wastewater situation in four or five years; the reduction in size of the wetland due to land conversion may prove to be permanent.

Another issue is the pollution of the already stressed coastal aquifer by the sewage, upon which Gazans depend for drinking and agricultural water.

Overall the situation can be described as an ecological disaster. The proximate and direct causes of this disaster are many. However one thing is certain--life is not easy for the people of Gaza, and the sad situation of the Wadi Gaza is far from helpful.