New York, 3 May 2024, (GNP): A United Nations official stated that the devastation in Gaza is unparalleled since World War II, suggesting that rebuilding efforts might require as much as $50 billion.
“We have not seen anything like this since 1945,” Abdallah al-Dardari, director of the regional bureau for Arab states at the UN Development Programme (UNDP), said on Thursday during an online news briefing. “That intensity, in such a short time and the massive scale of destruction,” he added
The UN official mentioned that over 70% of housing has been demolished, with around 37 million tons of debris needing clearance, far surpassing the 2014 conflict. T
he extent of damage is so severe that the UNDP suggests Gaza’s human development index has regressed by four decades, evaluating education, health, and life expectancy.
“All investments in human development … for the last 40 years in Gaza have been wiped out,” al-Dardari said. “We are almost back in the ’80s,” he added.
The overall cost of post-war reconstruction in Gaza would cost between $40-50bn “at least”, he said.
The primary focus of the UN agency would be a three-year period dedicated to post-war recovery, aiming to establish temporary shelters and essential services to facilitate Palestinians’ return to their original residences.
Since October 7, the Israeli army has relentlessly bombarded the Gaza Strip in one of the most severe aerial assaults in recent memory.
Palestinian authorities report a death toll exceeding 34,500, with vast areas of the territory reduced to rubble.
In northern Gaza, the threat of famine looms as Israel’s stringent restrictions on food and humanitarian aid exacerbate the situation.
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Amid restrictions on aid truck access into Gaza, the humanitarian situation has worsened. UN agencies and aid organizations have called for increased land crossings to alleviate the crisis, warning of an imminent man-made famine. But Israel denies impeding aid flow and attributes any delays to aid groups operating within Gaza.
US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller urged Israel to stop attacks on aid convoys headed to Gaza after Israeli protesters targeted two Jordanian aid trucks. Negotiations for ceasefire and captive releases have resumed after a stalemate.
Hamas announced plans for a delegation to visit Egypt soon for further discussions. Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s political bureau chief, stated that the group is examining Israel’s ceasefire proposal with optimism.
