For the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, the ceasefire deal is just the beginning — huge challenges lie ahead, from clearing the rubble to growing crops again
Photo: Reuters
[Editor's Note: This article, initially published in January 2025, is being reshared as US President Donald Trump floats the idea of the US "taking over" Gaza and "developing" the enclave. Let's a take a step back and see what will it take to rebuild a territory ravaged by a brutal war.]
It was the news every Palestinian has been waiting for: A ceasefire, an end to the bloodshed that stretched for 15 long months. But as celebrations erupted in Gaza, the war's survivors were still left with a grim reality. Their homes are gone. Their cattle are all slaughtered. Schools, mosques, hospitals are decimated.
Billions of dollars will be needed to rebuild Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas, according to assessments from the UN.
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How can Gaza get back up on its feet? Here is a breakdown of the destruction in the Palestinian territory:
Israel's bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people, according to Palestinian authorities. Hamas' attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, based on Israeli tallies.
The UN 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 from April 2024 suggested it would take 14 years to clear the rubble.
The debris is believed to be contaminated with asbestos, with some refugee camps struck during the war known to have been built with the material. The rubble also likely holds human remains. The Palestinian Ministry of Health estimated in May that 10,000 bodies were missing under the debris.
Rebuilding Gaza's 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 pre-war structures — over 170,000 buildings — have been damaged or flattened, according to UN satellite data (UNOSAT) in December. That amounts to around 69 per cent of the total structures of the Gaza Strip.
Within the count are a total of 245,123 housing units, according to an estimate from UNOSAT. Currently, over 1.8 million people are in need of emergency shelter in Gaza, the UN humanitarian office said.
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, a UN-World Bank report said.
An update by the UN humanitarian office this month showed that less than a quarter of the pre-war water supplies were available, while at least 68 per cent of the road network has been damaged.
More than half of Gaza's agricultural land, crucial for feeding the war-ravaged territory's hungry population, has been degraded by conflict, satellite images analysed by the UN 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.
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 during the conflict, with only 17 out of 36 units partially functional as of January, the UN humanitarian office's report showed.
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.
(Inputs from Reuters)
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