United Nations: Gaza reconstruction will take 80 years
Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism - The United Nations housing expert stated that since Israel launched its military offensive on October 7, Gaza has been subjected to unprecedented destruction and will take years to rebuild.
According to ISNA, quoted by the official Palestinian news agency (Wafa), Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the independent UN rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, told reporters: “Gaza has been in turmoil ever since Tel Aviv launched its military attack following the Hamas operation on October 7 last year.” began, has been exposed to unprecedented destruction. The brutal destruction in Gaza was not seen in the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.
This UN official further stated: By January 2024, about 60-70% of all houses in Gaza were destroyed, and 82% of houses in northern Gaza were also destroyed. Currently, the situation in the north is very serious and the amount of destruction is on the verge of reaching 100%.
According to Rajagopal, in a report recently published by the United Nations Development Program, it was estimated that there were more than 39 million tons of debris in Gaza as of May, and this debris consists of unexploded ordnance, toxic waste, the skeletons of collapsed buildings and Other items are mixed.
He went on to say: The pollution of underground water and soil has reached a very catastrophic condition, to the extent that we don’t know if we can fix it in a reasonable period of time so that at least the people of this generation will be able to return or not.
In response to the question of how long it will take to rebuild Gaza, this UN official said: first, the debris must be removed, and in the next step, there must be a budget, after that there is another big problem, and that is until the occupation ends. Unfinished, it is not possible to rebuild. The reason for this situation is that Tel Aviv imposes restrictions on the entry of construction materials and equipment and claims that these items have dual use.
Rajagopal continued: After the 2014 war in Gaza, less than 1,000 houses were built annually.
In the end, this UN official said: The UN Development Program estimates that 80,000 houses have been destroyed in the current war, so if the occupation continues, the reconstruction operation will take 80 years.
