The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has estimated that around 70 billion dollars will be required to reconstruct the Gaza Strip and make it safe following two years of devastating conflict.
At just 41 kilometres long and between two and five kilometres wide, few areas of Gaza have been left untouched by the Israeli bombardment prior to the latest ceasefire declared on Friday.
UNDP Special Representative for the Palestinians, Jaco Cilliers, said that destruction across the enclave now stands at about 84 per cent, rising to as high as 92 per cent in parts of Gaza City.
Cilliers cited findings from the latest Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (IRDNA) conducted by the UN, the European Union and the World Bank, which put the total estimated damage at 70 billion dollars.
He said approximately 20 billion dollars would be needed within the next three years to kickstart recovery and reconstruction efforts.
The UNDP, working alongside humanitarian partners, is currently providing essential support to Gaza’s 2.1 million residents, including access to clean water, emergency employment, medical supplies, and solid waste management. The agency is also clearing rubble and unexploded ordnance from residential areas and public spaces.
Cilliers said there were “very good indications” of donor support from Arab states, European countries, and the United States, adding that Washington had expressed readiness to contribute to early recovery efforts.
The comments came a day after a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel was signed in Sharm El-Sheikh by U.S. President Donald Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye.
The truce led to the release of the remaining 20 Israeli hostages on Monday, while several Palestinian prisoners were freed by Israel.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the release of all surviving hostages nearly two years after they were abducted during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 250 people were taken.
Attention has now shifted to the transfer of deceased hostages from Gaza, a process overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). So far, only four bodies have been returned, and it remains unclear how many more will follow.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have authorised the delivery of 190,000 tonnes of relief supplies into Gaza, as UN agencies and their partners move to scale up humanitarian operations across the war-torn enclave.
