In a report issued on Monday, Conference said United Nations For Trade and Development, it is “If the war ends tomorrow and comes back Gaza To the situation that existed before Hamas attack On October 7, 2023 on IsraelIt may take 350 years for its faltering economy to return to its unstable pre-war level.”
The current war has caused massive destruction throughout the Gaza Strip, with entire neighborhoods destroyed and roads and vital infrastructure completely destroyed.
Mountains of rubble filled with decaying bodies and unexploded ordnance must be removed before rebuilding can begin.
The report added: “Once a ceasefire is reached, a return to the status quo that existed before October 2023 will not put Gaza on the necessary path to recovery.” and sustainable development. “If the growth trend recorded during the period between 2007 and 2022, which was 0.4 percent on average, returns, Gaza will need only 350 years to return to the levels of GDP recorded in 2022.”
The United Nations independent investigator on the right to adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, said last week that by January 2024, between 60 percent and 70 percent of all homes in Gaza had been destroyed, and in northern Gaza the percentage was 82 percent of homes.
According to Rajagopal, a recent report issued by the United Nations Development Program estimated that last May there were more than 39 million tons of debris in Gaza.
Rajagopal explained that the rubble was mixed with unexploded ordnance and toxic waste And asbestos From collapsed buildings and other materials.
In response to a question about how long the process of rebuilding Gaza will take, Rajagopal said that first the rubble must be removed, secondly there must be funding, and then “there is another big problem, as reconstruction cannot be done unless the occupation ends.”
Rajagopal continued, saying that this situation is because Israel imposes restrictions on construction materials and equipment, which it claims have “dual uses.”
He pointed out that after the 2014 war in Gaza, less than a thousand homes were built every year, adding that “the United Nations Development Program estimated that 80,000 homes were destroyed in the current war, so the reconstruction process will take 80 years if the occupation continues.” .