United Nations: Countries have committed $70 billion for the reconstruction of Gaza, but recovery may take decades.

Washington – "Al-Quds" dot com - Said Arikat

The United Nations and several countries have pledged $70 billion for the reconstruction of Gaza after two years of Israeli destruction. 83% of the homes in the city of Gaza were damaged or destroyed during the Israeli assault.

Jaco Sillers, an official with the United Nations Development Program, clarified that Canada, Europe, Arab countries, and the United States have collectively pledged $70 billion for the reconstruction of Gaza. The task of rebuilding Gaza will be enormous, as the Israeli bombardment left at least 55 million tons of rubble filled with unexploded bombs.

Sillers stated that Gaza's recovery could take decades.

However, the reconstruction of the sector will only begin if the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holds. Both sides are already exchanging accusations of violating the agreement. Tel Aviv stated that Hamas is not returning the bodies of Israeli hostages quickly enough, and has reduced the amount of aid entering Gaza in response.

Israel has nearly completely destroyed Gaza over the past two years. At least 67,000 people have been killed, but experts and observers estimate that the actual death toll is in the hundreds of thousands.

Gaza also contains millions of tons of rubble with thousands of bodies. Since the ceasefire took effect, Palestinians have recovered the remains of hundreds of individuals in three days.

Last week, the United Nations reported that 83% of all buildings in the city of Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. By December 2023, experts were accusing Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza, or the deliberate destruction of all infrastructure to displace a group of people.