BILLIONS of dollars will be needed to rebuild Gaza, according to assessments by the United Nations.
Here is a breakdown of the destruction in Gaza from the 15-month conflict.
How many casualties are there?
The Hamas raid in Israel killed 1,200 people while the Jewish state has killed more than 46,000 people so far.
How long will it take to clear the rubble?
The United Nations warned in October that removing 42 million tonnes of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take years and cost $1.2 billion. A UN estimate suggested it would take 14 years to clear the rubble.
The debris is believed to be contaminated with asbestos, with some refugee camps known to have been built with the material. The rubble also likely holds human remains. The Palestinian health ministry estimates that 10,000 bodies are missing under the debris.
How many buildings have been destroyed?
Rebuilding shattered homes will take at least until 2040, but could drag on for many decades, according to a UN report released last year.
Two-thirds of Gaza’s structures — over 170,000 buildings — have been damaged or flattened. That amounts to around 70 per cent of the total structures of the Gaza Strip.
Within the count are a total of 245,123 housing units. Currently, over 1.8 million people are in need of emergency shelter in Gaza.
The infrastructure damage
The estimated damage to infrastructure totalled $18.5 billion as of end-January 2024, affecting residential buildings, commerce, industry, and essential services such as education, health, and energy.
An update by the UN humanitarian office this month showed that less than a quarter of the water supplies were in tact from the bombardment, while at least 68 per cent of the road network has been damaged.
How will Gaza feed itself?
More than half of the territory’s agricultural land, crucial for feeding the population, has been degraded by conflict, satellite images analysed by the United Nations show.
The data reveals a rise in the destruction of orchards, field crops and vegetables in the Palestinian enclave, where hunger is widespread after 15 months of Israeli bombardment.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said last year that 15,000 cattle, or over 95 per cent, of the total had been slaughtered or died since the conflict began and nearly half the sheep.
Schools, universities and religious buildings
Palestinian data shows that the conflict has led to the destruction of over 200 government facilities, 136 schools and universities, 823 mosques and three churches. Many hospitals have been damaged, with only 17 out of 36 units partially functional as of January.
Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab has highlighted the extent of destruction along Gaza’s eastern boundary. As of May 2024, over 90 per cent of the buildings in this area, including more than 3,500 structures, were either destroyed or severely damaged.
Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2025
