Gaza Strip: war damage to “critical infrastructure” estimated at 18.5 billion
Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, carried out in retaliation for the attack launched by Hamas in the south of the country in early October, resulted in damage to “critical infrastructure” estimated at $18.5 billion, according to a report published Tuesday April 2.
An aerial view from December 26, 2023 shows destroyed buildings in Beit Lahia after Israeli shelling in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP - -
By: RFI Follow
Advertisement
Read more
This amount, resulting from a study carried out jointly by the World Bank (WB), the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU), is the first estimate of the effects of the bombings and ground fighting in the
Gaza Strip.
carried out over the past six months and corresponds to the equivalent of 97% of the GDP of all occupied Palestinian territories. The report takes into account the destruction carried out between the start of the conflict and the end of January.
The destruction of housing represents a large part of these “critical infrastructures” destroyed (72%), ahead of health, education and “amenities (water, electricity)” (19%), the rest concerning commercial and industrial equipment. .
Read alsoGaza Strip: UN dismay at the horror inside the al-Chifa hospital
Now, more than a million people are homeless, out of the 2.2 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip before the start of the conflict, twice as many as the previous estimate, published in mid-December. Worse still, more than half of the population is close to starvation, while the entire population is malnourished or food insecure.
As for health equipment, 84% of them were destroyed or damaged, compared to 60% at the end of 2023, and those still operating have almost no water or electricity to treat their patients or the injured.
An aerial view shows the destruction caused by Israeli strikes in Wadi Gaza, in the central Gaza Strip, on November 28, 2023. AFP - MAHMUD HAMS
92% of the primary road network destroyed
The running water and sanitation system is only functioning at 5% of its capacity at the beginning of October and the Gazan education system is considered to have completely collapsed, with all of Gaza's children out of school.
While half of the road network was destroyed in mid-December, this is now the case for 92% of the primary road network, while the telecommunications network is considered to be “seriously compromised”.
The report also identifies the most essential actions to begin reconstruction, starting with an increase in humanitarian aid and food production, the provision of large-scale shelter and the resumption of essential services.
A displaced Palestinian sheltering in a tent camp collects rainwater, due to the lack of drinking water, following a downpour, as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues , in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip, November 15, 2023. REUTERS - IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA
Read also “Uninhabitable” Gaza, the impossible field investigation
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your inbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
Share :
Continue reading on the same themes:
Gaza
Israelo-Palestinian conflict
Israel
Economy
world Bank
UN
European Union