UN says $53b needed to rebuild Gaza

AFP :

More than $53 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and end the “humanitarian catastrophe” that has gripped the war-ravaged territory, including $20 billion in the first three years alone, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

The global body said in a report that a “political and security framework” must also be put in place so that recovery and rebuilding can begin, and a groundwork can be laid for a political process to quickly end the Israeli occupation “and establish a viable two-State solution.”

Much of Gaza — including schools, hospitals and other civic infrastructure — has been reduced to rubble by a withering Israeli military offensive following an unprecedented Hamas resistance campaign on October 7, 2023.

“The interim assessment offers an early indication of the enormous scale of recovery and reconstruction needs in the Gaza Strip,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the document, cautioning that it was not a full 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,” he added.

In a resolution adopted in December calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, the UN General Assembly had asked Guterres to provide an assessment of the territory’s needs within two months.

The report assessed that with “over 60% of homes” destroyed in the year-plus war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, the housing sector requires around $15.2 billion.

The commerce and industry sector will need an estimated $6.9 billion, as will the health sector, according to the report.