It could take 168 months to clear rubble from Gaza, says UN official

As the war in Gaza rages for another week, an official of the United Nations Mine Action Service, said the huge rubble left by Israel’s catastrophic war in the enclave could take up to 168 months, representing 14 years, to clear up.

According to Pehr Lodhammar,, the devastating war left an estimated 37 million tons of debris in the heavily populated city.

Gaza’s media office confirmed that the Israeli attacks have destroyed up to 70,000 homes and damaged another 290,000, rendering them uninhabitable.

Government buildings, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and historical sites are among the structures targeted by the IDF.

Israel has laid a destructive siege on the Gaza Strip since Hamas launched a cross-border incursion on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people.

Apart from killing over 34,000 Palestinians in retaliatory attacks since then, the Israeli military onslaught has reduced much of the enclave of 2.3 million people into ruins, leaving most inhabitants homeless, malnourished, and at risk of disease.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice in the Hague. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to end genocidal acts and take adequate measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.