The United Nations estimates that rebuilding Gaza after 16 months of conflict will cost $53 billion and take at least five years.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced on February 12 that preliminary assessments place the cost of recovery and reconstruction across the Gaza Strip at over $53 billion. This includes approximately $15.2 billion for housing, as "more than 60% of homes" have been destroyed. The commercial and industrial sectors will require about $6.9 billion, while the healthcare system will need a similar amount.
Reviving agriculture is estimated to cost $4.2 billion, transportation infrastructure $2.9 billion, water and sanitation systems $2.7 billion, and education $2.6 billion.
Last year, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) reported that rebuilding Gaza could take at least five years.
“The UNDP estimate does not account for all physical infrastructure—only housing,” said Rami Alazzeh, an economic officer at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
According to Alazzeh, clearing the rubble alone will cost at least $1.2 billion—"more than half of Gaza’s GDP in 2022." The cleanup process will be complicated by unexploded ordnance, hazardous materials, and the presence of thousands of bodies buried beneath an estimated 50 million tons of debris.
Another major challenge is restoring livelihoods for Gaza’s population.
“The war has pushed unemployment to 90%,” Alazzeh noted. “Human capital has been severely affected. Children have been out of school for 16 months, and people have gone without healthcare for a year and a half.”
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has resulted in over 48,000 deaths and more than 110,000 injuries, the majority of whom are women and children.
There is currently no clear plan for Gaza’s reconstruction. U.S. President Donald Trump recently floated the idea of American control over Gaza, suggesting the relocation of nearly two million Palestinians to neighboring Arab countries. Under this proposal, the U.S. would demolish all existing structures and redevelop the strip into the "Riviera of the Middle East," referring to a luxury Mediterranean resort area stretching from France to Italy.
Israel welcomed the idea, calling it "groundbreaking thinking." However, regional countries—including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar—along with the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League, issued a joint statement rejecting any plans to relocate Gaza’s population. The Arab bloc warned that such a move would destabilize the region, increase the risk of conflict, and further undermine prospects for peace.
(Sources: Al Jazeera, Daily Star)
