The UN development program is behind the estimate.
The reconstruction of the war-torn Palestinian area is believed to cost between 30 and 40 billion dollars.
Large parts of the Gaza Strip lie in ruins after seven months of war between Israel and Hamas.
– Can take decades
– The extent of the destruction is large and without parallel. This is work that the global community has not carried out since the Second World War, says UN Assistant Secretary-General Abdallah al-Dardari.
He adds that the reconstruction, if it is to happen via normal processes, “could take decades, and the Palestinian people do not have the luxury of being able to wait for decades”.
Al-Dardari estimates that the Israeli attacks have created more than 37 million tons of rubble and rubble. According to him, 72 percent of all homes are completely or partially destroyed.
The UN’s main body for trade, investment and development (UNCTAD) calculated earlier this year that it will take almost 70 years for the economy in the Gaza Strip to be the same as before the war.
Much larger scope than last time
The last time Israel launched a major attack on Gaza, in 2014, they caused destruction worth over NOK 40 billion, UNCTAD has calculated.
This time the destruction is far greater, and so are the costs of rebuilding homes, schools, hospitals, water and electricity networks and other infrastructure.
UN bodies also warn that the warfare will have long-term psychosocial consequences.
Half of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants are children, and in addition to being deprived of schooling, virtually all of them are deeply traumatized and in need of mental health care or other psychosocial support, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).
