Over a million people were made homeless by the Israeli aggression, with 75 percent of the population displaced.
A newly released report by the World Bank and the United Nations, with financial support from the European Union, revealed that the damage to critical infrastructure in Gaza amounts to approximately $18.5 billion.
This staggering figure represents 97 percent of the combined GDP of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022.
Intensive Damage
Using remote data collection methods, the Interim Damage Assessment report analyzed the period between October 2023 and January 2024, identifying extensive damage across various sectors of the economy.
According to the report, housing suffered the most, accounting for 72 percent of the costs, followed by public service infrastructure (19 percent) and commercial/industrial buildings (9 percent).
The scale of destruction has resulted in an estimated 26 million tons of debris, which will take years to clear.
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The report also shed light on the humanitarian crisis facing the people of Gaza.
Famine and Displacement
More than half of the population is on the brink of famine, while acute food insecurity and malnutrition affect everyone.
Over a million people were made homeless by the Israeli aggression, with 75 percent of the population displaced.
Palestinian women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable, facing severe physical and mental health challenges.
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Healthcare System and Infrastructure
The collapse of Gaza’s health facilities (84 percent were either damaged or destroyed), water and sanitation systems, and the education system exacerbates the situation, according to the report.
Power networks and communication infrastructure have also been severely affected, hindering the delivery of essential humanitarian aid.
With 92 percent of primary roads damaged and a near-total blackout since the beginning of the war on October 7, accessing basic services is incredibly difficult.
The report highlighted the urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance, food aid, and food production, along with providing shelter and rapid housing solutions for the displaced population. Resuming essential services is also crucial for early recovery efforts.
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Staggering Death Toll
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 32,975 Palestinians have been killed, and 75,577 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’
(The Palestine Chronicle)
