$80b, 40 years needed to rebuild Gaza, says aid agencies

Reconstruction efforts in Gaza following a devastating 15-month war could take four decades and cost over $80 billion, international aid agencies reported on Friday.

The conflict has left the enclave in ruins, with extensive damage to homes, infrastructure, and critical services.

The United Nations estimates that 70% of Gaza’s structures, including over 245,000 homes, have been damaged or destroyed.

The northern region, which saw the heaviest destruction, remains sealed off and largely depopulated following Israeli operations last October.

The sheer volume of debris is unprecedented, with over 50 million tonnes of rubble now littering the territory—12 times the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Corey Scher from the Shelter Cluster, an international aid coalition, described the scale of devastation as unparalleled: “I can’t think of any parallel, in terms of the severity of damage, for an enclave or a country or a people.”

Clearing the rubble alone, using 100 trucks operating full time, would take 15 years, aid officials estimate.

Gaza’s health sector is a top priority, with over 80% of its facilities damaged or destroyed. The World Health Organization announced plans to deploy prefabricated hospitals to the region and evacuate more than 12,000 patients, including 4,000 children, for urgent care.

As the fighting is set to cease on Sunday, full assessments of the destruction will begin. For now, the war has transformed Gaza into a wasteland, with recovery requiring immense global coordination and resources.