€60bn needed after 'biblical' destruction in Gaza - Oxfam

The cost of rebuilding Gaza after nearly two years of conflict is estimated to exceed €60 billion, according to a new report by Oxfam. The report, titled "Building the Gaza Strip Anew," co-authored by Oxfam, the Palestine Trade Center (Paltrade), and the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS), outlines a catastrophic level of damage requiring significant international mobilization.

“

There's no such thing as normal life in Gaza. It's just probably worth reminding ourselves that 73,000 people have been killed. Many, many more are under the rubble, and 172,000 people have been injured.

The estimated $71.4 billion (€61 billion) will be needed to restore homes, hospitals, schools, roads, water networks, and other essential infrastructure devastated by the conflict. This comes as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise, with recent Israeli military attacks claiming dozens of Palestinian lives, including children. Despite a formal ceasefire agreed upon in October, violence has persisted on the ground, prompting the United Nations to condemn recent attacks and state that nowhere in Gaza is safe.

Jim Clarkin, Chief Executive of Oxfam Ireland, warned that living conditions are rapidly deteriorating, with severe food shortages anticipated in the coming months. He described the devastation as "biblical" and beyond human comprehension, noting that 73,000 people have been killed and many more are missing or injured. At least a quarter of those injured have suffered life-altering trauma, while the medical system is on the brink of collapse, with fewer than half of Gaza's health facilities functioning and a critical lack of medical supplies.

“

The devastation as 'biblical' and beyond human comprehension.

The crisis has also crippled the education system, with 90% of school buildings destroyed or heavily damaged, leading to informal and unstructured educational activities. Food security in Gaza has reached Level 3 on international tracking scales, indicating a crisis state and predicting an acute food crisis in the coming months. This exacerbates the damage already inflicted upon agricultural land and the overall social fabric of the Strip.

“

So, there's going to be an acute food crisis in the Gaza Strip over the next few months, on top of all the damage that's been done to the agricultural land and to the overall social fabric.