The United Nations reported on Thursday that the destruction of housing in Gaza is unprecedented since World War II, with the devastation caused by Israel’s bombing and ground offensive estimated to take until 2040 to restore if the conflict were to end today.
According to the U.N., the social and economic impact of the war has been increasing exponentially, with casualties reaching 5% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population. Over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 80,000 injured, while 7,000 others remain missing, most believed to be buried under the rubble.
The report by UNDP and the U.N. Economic Commission for Western Asia paints a dire picture of the situation in Gaza, where 201,000 jobs have been lost since the war began and the economy contracted by 81% in the last quarter of 2023. The blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt since Hamas’ takeover in 2007 has exacerbated the situation, with tight controls on what enters and exits the territory.
The U.N. Human Development Index in Gaza has been pushed back more than 20 years, and the productive basis of the economy has been destroyed, with sectors experiencing losses of more than 90%. The report estimates that the GDP of Gaza could decrease by 51% in 2024.
At least 370,000 housing units in Gaza have been damaged, with 79,000 destroyed completely. Even if Israel allows a five-fold increase in construction material to enter Gaza, it would take until 2040 to rebuild the destroyed houses, without repairing the damaged ones.
The estimated cost of an early recovery program for three years is between $2 billion and $3 billion, while the overall reconstruction of Gaza is estimated to be between $40 billion and $50 billion. The immediate focus now is on planning for early recovery, with a unified view and framework being developed that is Palestinian-centered, Palestinian-led, and owned by the Palestinian people.