Gaza lying in ruins: 14-year path to recovery amid mass displacement

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Times
17 Jan 2025 12:01

With over 50 million tonnes of rubble still scattered and reconstruction costs projected to reach $80 billion, the challenge ahead is immense.

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Palestinians check destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, on November 1. (AFP via Getty Images)

As the war on Gaza winds down, international donors are assessing the immense Israeli destruction in the densely populated territory and considering future reconstruction efforts, as highlighted in a report by The Times.

The scale of devastation is staggering: the Israeli aggression, which Gaza's Health Ministry reports has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, has left behind more than 50.8 million tonnes of rubble—surpassing the debris from the war in Ukraine and amounting to 17 times the combined total of debris from all wars since 2008.

Clearing this debris alone is projected to cost $970,945,431, while the overall reconstruction is estimated to require up to $80 billion.

Staggering scale of Israeli destruction

Two-thirds of the territory, home to 2.1 million people, has been damaged or destroyed, including vital infrastructure. According to the UN, only 16 of Gaza’s 35 hospitals remain partially operational. Clearing the rubble could take over 14 years, and rebuilding homes may extend until 2040. With 90% of the population displaced, many residents are now living in tents. Entire neighborhoods have been wiped out, alongside schools, hospitals, and sewage systems.

15 months of utter destruction.

The Israeli war on #Gaza has rendered the Strip uninhabitable through its relentless bombing campaigns against the innocent Palestinian people.#GazaGenocide #Palestine pic.twitter.com/dCKRdgZi2U
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 16, 2025

At least 57% of Gaza’s water infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, including desalination plants in the north and central regions.

“For each square meter in the Gaza Strip, there is now over 107kg of debris, which may contain UXO [unexploded ordnance], hazardous substances and human remains. The total amount of debris from the current conflict in Gaza is more than five times the quantity of debris generated from the 2017 Isil conflict in Mosul (7.65 million tons),” stated a report from June 2024, just eight months into the war.

Remnants of Gaza

In a similar vein, Reuters reported on the cataclysmic toll on infrastructure within the Gaza Strip, citing an analysis by Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data, which stated that as much as 60% of all buildings in Gaza have been likely damaged or destroyed.

It shed light on the immense volume of rubble left behind, maintaining the complexity of clearing it after the ceasefire. In addition to all that, other challenges lying ahead are the large quantity of unexploded ordinance, risks from asbestos and other contaminants, especially in refugee camps, and the large number of bodies still lying in the rubble.

On its part, the World Health Organization said large amounts of dust released from destroyed buildings are releasing hazardous materials that float into the air or seep into water supplies, risking further serious health and environmental problems for Gaza’s population.

Within the Gaza Strip, the highest concentration of destruction has been in the northern governorates of Gaza.

According to the analysis, as much as 70% of buildings in North Gaza and 74% in Gaza City are likely damaged or destroyed. Satellite images show widespread rubble and the ruins of structures in the area.