Over $71b needed to rebuild Gaza: UN, EU

More than $71 billion will be needed over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction in war-ravaged Gaza, according to a European Union and United Nations assessment published on Monday. In their final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), the United Nations and the European Union said that more than two years of war in the Palestinian territory "has led to unprecedented loss of life and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis". "Recovery and reconstruction needs are estimated at around $71.4bn," said the assessment, developed in coordination with the World Bank. Much of Gaza - including schools, hospitals and other civic infrastructure - has been reduced to rubble by an Israeli military offensive. The final assessment determined that $26.3bn would be required in the first 18 months to restore essential services, rebuild critical infrastructure and support economic recovery. "Physical infrastructure damages are estimated at $35.2bn, with economic and social losses amounting to $22.7bn," a joint statement said. Gaza is under a fragile ceasefire agreed last October, which followed two years of devastating conflict. The Israeli military campaign has killed more than 72,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry. According to the RDNA, some 371,888 housing units have been destroyed or damaged, more than 50 per cent of hospitals in the territory are non-functional and nearly all schools have been destroyed or damaged. At the same time, 1.9 million people - nearly Gaza's entire population - have been displaced, often multiple times, and more than 60pc of the population had lost their homes, the assessment found. Gaza's economy has contracted by 84pc, it said. "The scale and extent of deprivation across living conditions, livelihoods/income, food security, gender equality, and social inclusion, have pushed back human development in the Gaza Strip by 77 years," the assessment said.