The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates $10 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza’s devastated health system over the next seven years, highlighting the unprecedented scale of destruction.
Initial estimates indicate that at least $10 billion will be needed to rebuild Gaza’s devastated health system over the next five to seven years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
“There are processes currently ongoing by the World Bank, EU and UN, and governments to do … these assessments on each and every sector” which is still ongoing, said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, in a virtual press conference.
“In Gaza, we all know, the destruction is so massive, I’ve never witnessed and never seen that anywhere else in my life.”
Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative, estimated that at least $10 billion would likely be needed to rebuild Gaza’s devastated health system pic.twitter.com/TRZMyVuIxb
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) January 17, 2025
Peeperkorn explained that early figures for the health sector were “about 3 billion over the next one and a half years and over the next six to seven years, only for health, something like 10 billion.”
Emphasizing the “massive” destruction In Gaza, he said, “I’ve never witnessed and never seen that anywhere else in my life.”
‘All Hospitals’ Targeted
“All hospitals are either damaged or partly destroyed,” and the same applies to primary healthcare clinics as well, he stated.
Peeperkorn said the WHO will “remain very pragmatic in what we do,” adding that “the focus over the coming periods should remain very much on humanitarian support, also on health.”
‘Atrocity Crimes’ – UN Rights Chief Urges Probe into Israel’s Attacks on Gaza Hospitals
An analysis by the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) last October revealed that around 66 per cent of the total structures in the besieged Gaza Strip sustained damage in Israel’s ongoing military assault on the enclave.
“Those 66% of damaged buildings in the Gaza Strip account for 163,778 structures in total,” the organization said. “This includes 52,564 structures that have been destroyed, 18,913 severely damaged, 35,591 possibly damaged structures and 56,710 moderately affected.”
‘Darkest Chapter’
Also speaking at the press conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the ceasefire agreement, which comes into effect on Sunday morning, “marks the end of the darkest chapter in the history of the relationship between the Israelis and the Palestinians.”
LIVE: Media briefing on global health issues with @DrTedros https://t.co/Kvo0bTNWoK
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 16, 2025
He said the rebuilding of Gaza’s health system “will be a massive undertaking” as “less than half of Gaza’s hospitals are functional.”
Qatar announced a ceasefire agreement on Wednesday, following mediation efforts led by Doha, Egypt and the United States, to end Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza that began in October 2023.
Staggering Death Toll
The ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, has led to a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale. As the death toll among besieged and starved Palestinian civilians continues to rise daily, Israel is currently facing charges of genocide against Palestinians before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 46,899 Palestinians have been killed, and 110,725 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Israel to release 735 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli detainees as part of a ceasefire deal. Notable figures include Zakaria Zubeidi and others. #Gaza #Ceasefire #PrisonerExchangehttps://t.co/iRGWGXLL8F pic.twitter.com/1aF5WH1HFw
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 18, 2025
The toll is expected to rise further, with at least 11,000 people still unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes across Gaza.
The war, which Palestinians call “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” began after a military operation carried out by Hamas on Israeli territory. Israel reports that 1,139 of its soldiers and civilians were killed during the initial attack on October 7. However, Israeli media have raised concerns that a significant number of Israeli casualties were caused by ‘friendly fire’ during the assault.
Millions Displaced
Human rights organizations, both Palestinian and international, have reported that the overwhelming majority of the casualties in Gaza are women and children. The ongoing violence has also exacerbated an acute famine, with thousands of children among the dead, highlighting the severity of the humanitarian disaster.
Tens of thousands of displaced people from Khan Younis are attempting to return to their city of Rafah after the halt of the Israeli genocide. pic.twitter.com/oliADs4i7v
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 19, 2025
The war has displaced nearly two million people from their homes across Gaza, with the majority of the displaced forced into the already overcrowded southern region of the Strip. The population in Gaza remains trapped in the ongoing conflict, with little access to basic necessities such as food, water, and medical care.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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