At least $53 billion needed to rebuild Gaza – UN

Over $53 billion will be needed to rebuild Gaza and put an end to the “humanitarian catastrophe” that has hit the war-torn strip, including $20 billion in the first three years alone, the United Nations said on February 11th, Al-Monitor via AFP reported.

The United Nations said in a report that a “political and security framework” must be implemented in order to start the recovery and reconstruction process and lay the foundation for a political process to swiftly end the Israeli occupation “and establish a viable two-state solution.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the document, “the interim assessment offers an early indication of the enormous scale of recovery and reconstruction needs in the Gaza Strip,” noting that it was only a preliminary assessment.

“The report estimates the recovery and reconstruction needs in the short, medium and long term across the Gaza Strip at $53.142 billion. Of these, the near-term needs in the first three years are estimated to be around $20.568 billion,” Guterres added.

Much of the Gaza Strip has been reduced to rubble following a brutal Israeli offensive after the Hamas attack of October 7th 2023.

Antonio Guterres provided an assessment of the territory’s needs after the UN General Assembly had asked him to; the report found that with “over 60 percent of homes” destroyed by Israel’s war on the strip, the housing sector needs about $15.2 billion.

Gaza’s agricultural industry will take around $4.2 billion, transport will require $2.9 billion, water and sanitation is estimated to need $2.7 billion, and education $2.6 billion.

The report also assessed the high costs for Gaza’s environmental sector, which is expected to be $1.9 billion “as a result of the massive debris laced with unexploded ordnance and the high cost associated with removal of debris.”

The United Nations has estimated that the war has produced over 50 million tons of debris, including human remains, unexploded ordnance, asbestos and other hazardous substances.

“Critically, the Palestinian Authority must be at the centre of planning for and the implementation of recovery and reconstruction in Gaza,” Guterres said in the report, dated January 30th.

Al-Monitor via AFP