UN experts warn Gaza reconstruction could take decades
Rebuilding Gaza after Israel’s two-year-long campaign of genocide, bombing, starvation, and mass displacement is expected to take decades, UN officials have warned, as the full scale of destruction and human suffering continues to emerge.
Jaco Cilliers, special representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that Israel’s devastating war has left at least 55 million tonnes of rubble across the densely populated coastal strip.
UNDP has already cleared roughly 81,000 tonnes and continues to remove debris. The UN official warned that clearing rubble, restoring essential services, and rebuilding homes will take decades, not years.
Cilliers further stated that early indications from countries including the United States, Arab states, and European nations suggest willingness to contribute to the $70 billion cost of rebuilding Gaza.
The grim reconstruction outlook comes after a ceasefire agreement was brokered on Monday in Egypt’s resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh between Israel and Hamas, under the mediation of international negotiators.
The 20-point Gaza proposal, put forward by US President Donald Trump earlier this month, includes a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, a prisoner exchange, and provisions for humanitarian aid.
While the truce has temporarily halted active hostilities, UN officials say that long-term recovery will require sustained international support and oversight.
Gaza’s hospitals, schools, and infrastructure were deliberately targeted or heavily damaged, leaving millions without electricity, clean water, or medical care.
Meanwhile, UN humanitarian officials warned that reconstruction cannot fully undo the damage caused by systematic bombing, forced displacement, and Israel’s blockade, which has restricted essential supplies for years.
They said that reconstruction will be only the first step. Without accountability and sustained international pressure on Israel, the territory could remain heavily damaged.
Speaking to reporters on a return flight from Sharm El-Sheikh, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan pledged to seek support from Persian Gulf states, the United States, and Europe to address the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Erdogan’s call for international backing comes as mediators continue to press Israel to fully uphold the ceasefire and guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid, amid concerns over the regime’s history of breaking previous truces and obstructing relief efforts in Gaza.
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