EU-UN: Gaza Reconstruction to Cost US$71 Billion After War

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The EU-UN has issued an assessment report on Monday stating that more than US$71 billion or about Rp1,216 trillion will be needed over the next decade for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza, which has been devastated by Israeli genocide since October 2023.

In their latest Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) said that over two years of genocide in the Palestinian territory "have resulted in an unprecedented loss of life and a staggering humanitarian crisis."

"Recovery and reconstruction needs are estimated at around US$71.4 billion," the assessment, developed in collaboration with the World Bank, was quoted by Al Arabiya.

Most of Gaza's civil infrastructure-including schools and hospitals-has been decimated by Israel's devastating military strikes. This was in retaliation for Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023. Israel's genocide in Gaza has claimed the lives of at least 72,500 Palestinian citizens, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

According to the ministry, at least 777 people have been killed since the "ceasefire" was implemented, with 32 murders occurring since early April alone. The victims include journalist Al Jazeera, Mohammed Wishah, who was killed in a drone attack west of Gaza City on April 8.

The Gaza Government Media Office stated that Israel has committed 2,400 violations of the "ceasefire." These violations include killings, arrests, blockades, and policies of starvation.

The final assessment stipulates that US$26.3 billion will be needed in the first 18 months to restore essential services, rebuild critical infrastructure, and support economic recovery.

"Physical infrastructure damages are estimated at $35.2 billion, with economic and social losses amounting to $22.7 billion," the joint statement said.

Gaza is under a fragile ceasefire agreed upon last October, following Israel's genocide. Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire under various pretexts.

A Huge Scale of Needs

According to the RDNA, around 371,888 housing units in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged, over 50 percent of hospitals in the area are non-functional, and almost all schools have been destroyed or damaged.

The UN stated that Israeli airstrikes have produced over 61 million tons of rubble in the besieged and devastated Gaza Strip, burying entire communities within it.

At the same time, 1.9 million Palestinians-almost the entire population of Gaza-have been displaced, often repeatedly, and over 60 percent of the population has lost their homes, according to the assessment.

Gaza's economy has shrunk by 84 percent, it stated.

"The scale and extent of deprivation across living conditions, livelihoods/income, food security, gender equality, and social inclusion, have pushed back human development in the Gaza Strip by 77 years," the assessment said.

The UN and the European Union emphasized that "given the immense scale of need, recovery efforts must run in parallel with humanitarian action" in Gaza, ensuring a "transition from emergency relief toward reconstruction at scale."

They stressed that the recovery and reconstruction need to be "Palestinian-led," and incorporate approaches that actively support the transfer of governance to the Palestinian Authority, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2803.

That is a clear rebuke to earlier signals from US President Donald Trump that Gaza could be cleared and rebuilt as a resort on the Mediterranean Sea.

The resolution, adopted last November, welcomed the establishment of Trump's Peace Council to support Gaza's reconstruction.

The UN and the European Union also stressed that "a set of enabling conditions" is required for the effective implementation of the resolution on the ground.

They specifically include "a sustained ceasefire and adequate security," as well as "unimpeded humanitarian access and immediate restoration of essential services," and "free movement of people, goods, and reconstruction materials, within and between Gaza and the West Bank."

Without these conditions, they cautioned, "neither recovery nor reconstruction can succeed."

Read: Board of Peace Says Israeli Border Curbs Disrupt Aid Delivery

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