As the US-Israeli conflict with Iran captures the world’s attention, a new report has found that years of war in Gaza, resulting in its near-total destruction, has set back the progress of the people there by 77 years.
The United Nations says the recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza will cost $23.6 billion in just 18 months, restoring essential services, rebuilding critical infrastructure and supporting economic recovery.
Report of the United Nations and the European UnionAccording to the World Bank, damage to physical infrastructure is estimated to reach 35.2 billion dollars, and economic and social losses to approximately 22.7 billion dollars since the war began following the attacks of Hamas on October 7, 2023 in the south of Israel and later Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
Gaza’s economy has collapsed by 84 percent, more than 371,000 homes in Gaza have been destroyed, more than half of Gaza’s hospitals are “non-functional”, and almost all schools have been damaged or destroyed, it says.
The Gazan health authority, which is affiliated with Hamas, says 777 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began in October, bringing the death toll to more than 72,000 since the start of the war.
AP, Bloomberg
