$70bn needed to rebuild Gaza – UN

The United Nations on Tuesday announced that the reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip will cost $70 billion, with approximately $20 billion required over the next three years.

UN Development Programme Special Representative for the Palestinians, Jaco Cilliers, said Israeli bombardment destroyed between 84 per cent and 92 per cent of Gaza, which measures 41 km in length and 5 km in width.

Speaking from Jerusalem, Cilliers highlighted the findings of the latest Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, IRDNA, on Gaza conducted by the UN, the European Union, and the World Bank.

The UN development agency and humanitarian partners remain in Gaza to provide support to the 2.1 million residents, while the search for thousands of missing Palestinians continues.

According to Cilliers, the assistance includes the provision of clean water, emergency employment, medical supplies, solid waste removal, and the clearing of rubble potentially concealing unexploded ordnance.

“The debris removal will provide access to humanitarian actors so that they can provide the much-needed aid and support to the people,” Cilliers noted.

The UNDP official said assurances from Arab States, European nations, and the United States indicate their commitment to participating in early recovery efforts.

The UN, however, urged Israeli authorities to open all access points into Gaza following the signing of a ceasefire deal supervised by President Donald Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye.

On Monday, the UN released $11 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund for food, water, healthcare, and shelter, following last week’s $9 million allocation for hospitals’ fuel supplies and essential services.

Also on Monday, Secretary-General António Guterres hailed the release of all living hostages from Gaza, two years after their capture during Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023.