The United Nations released a report on Thursday stating that the pace of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip following Israel’s recent military offensive could take until the next century to complete. The report highlighted the extensive damage caused by the conflict, with 370,000 homes in Gaza being damaged and 79,000 destroyed.
According to the report, if the destroyed homes were to be rebuilt at the same pace as after previous wars in 2014 and 2021, it would take 80 years to complete the reconstruction. The report also emphasized the significant socioeconomic impact of the war on the Palestinian population, stating that the level of destruction in Gaza requires assistance on a scale not seen since 1948.
Even in the most optimistic scenario, where Israel allows five times more construction material into Gaza than after the 2021 war, rebuilding all destroyed homes would still take until 2040. This projection does not include the time needed to repair the hundreds of thousands of homes that were damaged but not destroyed.
Abdallah Al Dardari, the director of the U.N.D.P.’s regional bureau for Arab states, highlighted the increasing cost of rebuilding Gaza each day the fighting continues. He stated that before any sense of normalcy can be established, 37 million tons of debris must be cleared to make way for temporary shelters and eventual home reconstruction.
The report also revealed the devastating impact of the war on the Palestinian economy, with the unemployment rate surging to 46 percent and poverty rates more than doubling to 57.2 percent. Approximately 1.67 million Palestinians were pushed into poverty as a result of the conflict.
Overall, the report concluded that the effects of the war on Palestinians, both in Gaza and across the occupied territories, will be felt for years to come. The road to recovery and rebuilding in the region is a long and arduous one, with significant challenges ahead.
