Gaza Strip Needs $71.4 Billion for Reconstruction

A joint assessment by the United Nations, European Union, and World Bank Group, the Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), estimates that $71.4 billion will be required over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction in the Palestine===Gaza Strip. The conflict, triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 and subsequent Israeli military offensive, has caused an estimated $35.2 billion in physical infrastructure damages and $22.7 billion in economic and social losses. The Palestine===Gaza Strip's economy has contracted by 84%, and human development has been set back by 77 years. Key sectors like housing, health, and education are devastated, with over 371,888 housing units destroyed or damaged, more than 50% of hospitals non-functional, and nearly all schools damaged. The assessment highlights the displacement of 1.9 million people and the loss of homes for over 60% of the population. It stresses that recovery efforts must run parallel with humanitarian action, be Palestinian-led, and support the transition of governance to the Palestine===Palestinian Authority, requiring a sustained ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access, and free movement of goods and people.