A UN estimate has shown that reconstructing the Gaza Strip, which was devastated by the Israeli genocidal war, requires more than $53 billion, including over $20 billion over the first three years.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in a report prepared at the request of the General Assembly that the necessary amounts for recovery and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip over the short, medium, and long term “are estimated at about $53 billion and 142 million. Within this amount, the funding needed in the short term for the first three years is estimated at about $20 billion and 568 million.”
The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip includes several key aspects, such as:
- Basic infrastructure, including rebuilding water and sewage networks, restoring electricity networks, and rehabilitating roads, bridges, and public transportation.
- Rebuilding homes and buildings.
- Health facilities, including reconstructing damaged hospitals and health centers.
- Educational facilities, repairing schools, universities, and educational institutions.
- Revitalizing productive sectors such as agriculture and industry.
- Removing rubble and disposing of war debris.
- Clearing areas of unexploded ordnance.
- Rehabilitation of the public sector and government services.
Israeli bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip has caused an “unprecedented level of destruction in modern history,” according to a previous UN report.
According to damage assessments conducted by the UN Satellite Center (UNOSAT) last month, as of December 1, nearly 69% of the buildings in the Gaza Strip were damaged or destroyed, totaling 170,812 buildings.
The UN health organization also stated that only 18 out of 36 hospitals (50%) are operating “partially,” with a total bed capacity of 1,800.
As of December 1, UNICEF reported that at least 496 schools were damaged, representing nearly 88% of the 564 registered facilities. Among these, 396 schools were directly hit by bombardment.
According to images taken by UNOSAT on September 26, 2024, 68% of the agricultural land in the Gaza Strip, equivalent to 103 square kilometers, was damaged due to the war.
In the North Gaza Governorate, the percentage of damaged agricultural land reached 79%, and in Rafah Governorate, it was 57%.
Destruction has affected agricultural assets (including irrigation systems, livestock farms, orchards, machinery, and storage facilities), with damage estimates ranging from 80% to 96% as of early 2024, according to a report published by the UN Conference on Trade and Development last September.
Regarding the road network, the damage percentage reached approximately 68% of the total roads in the Gaza Strip, with a total of 1,190 kilometers destroyed, according to a “preliminary analysis” conducted by UNOSAT on August 18.
Source: PalInfo
