A new report by the United Nations has warned that the reconstruction of homes in the Gaza Strip may extend into the next century if the current pace follows the trend of previous conflicts.
Nearly seven months of Israeli bombardment have caused extensive damage, leaving many high-rise concrete buildings in the crowded Strip reduced to rubble, creating what a UN official described as a “moonscape” of destruction.
Palestinian data indicates that around 80,000 homes have been destroyed in Israel’s bombing campaign.
The assessment, released by the UN Development Programme, indicates that Gaza would need “approximately 80 years to restore all the fully destroyed housing units.”
However, under a best-case scenario where construction materials are delivered five times faster than in the last crisis in 2021, reconstruction could be completed by 2040, the report suggests.
The UNDP assessment provides projections on the war’s socioeconomic impact based on the duration of the current conflict, foreseeing decades of ongoing suffering.
“Unprecedented levels of human losses, capital destruction, and the steep rise in poverty in such a short period of time will precipitate a serious development crisis that jeopardises the future of generations to come,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner in a statement.
In a scenario where the conflict lasts nine months, poverty is expected to increase from 38.8 percent of Gaza’s population at the end of 2023 to 60.7 percent, pushing a significant portion of the middle class below the poverty line, the report added.