- Even under optimistic assumptions, the rebuilding of Gaza will cost tens of billions of dollars and take a decade or more.
- The sheer scale of destruction of infrastructure, homes, services and agriculture, combined with restrictions on access and governance issues, means reconstruction will feel like starting anew under occupation.
A landscape razed
The Gaza Strip — a densely populated territory of around 360 km² on the Mediterranean coast between Israel and Egypt — has suffered devastation on an unprecedented scale. Satellite imagery and field assessments show that about two-thirds of its structures were damaged or destroyed in the genocide.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other institutions, the damage includes residential housing, schools, hospitals, water and sanitation systems, roads and utilities.
What the numbers say
Experts estimate that the cost of reconstruction in Gaza could exceed US$50 billion over the coming decade. A joint assessment by the World Bank, the European Union and the UN placed the requirement at around US$53.2 billion.
By way of example:
- The early recovery phase (0–3 years) — debris clearance, restoring water, power, temporary shelter — is estimated at US$20 billion.
- The longer term reconstruction, rebuilding new housing, infrastructure, agriculture and economy, could cost another US$35–50 billion.
As for timeframes: one estimate says that, even under positive conditions, housing reconstruction alone will not be completed before 2040.
Access and governance
Reconstruction cannot proceed without unfettered access to building materials, machinery, experts and aid — yet those supplies are heavily restricted under the blockade that has beset Gaza for years.
Rebuilding Gaza is not just a physical task of brick and mortar. It is a complex process of restoring human dignity, rights and hope — amidst the ruins of genocide.
Security and safety
Even if resources arrive, removing rubble and unexploded ordnance is painstaking and dangerous work. The terrain is unstable, and neighbourhoods may be structurally unsound.
For many Palestinians, the challenges in Gaza tie back to the larger issue of occupation and denial of sovereignty. The reconstruction is therefore inseparable from questions of freedom, rights and self‐determination. The draft early recovery plan by UN agencies emphasises that the process must lead to a “fully independent, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian State”.
What it means for Gaza’s populace
For displaced families, the ideal of returning home takes on a stark meaning. Where once there stood a house, a street, a community, there may now be rubble, exposed utilities, a destroyed school. Many Gazans will face years under temporary housing, disrupted education, broken livelihoods and trauma.
One local expert summed up the feeling: it may be “worse than starting from scratch” — because Gaza does not have the luxury of building anew in an empty zone; it must rebuild on top of destruction, under blockades, with the shadow of occupation looming.
Several priority areas stand out:
Debris removal and clearance: Making land safe and usable again and removing the physical and psychological burden of ruin.
Restoration of basics: Water, sanitation, electricity, health and education services must be restored before full rebuilding can commence.
Housing and infrastructure: New homes, schools, hospitals, transport links must be envisioned and built.
Economic revival: Agriculture, industry and jobs must come back, especially given former economic collapse.
Governance and ownership: Local Palestinian leadership at the centre of the process is key to legitimacy, sustainability and dignity.
For Palestinians in Gaza, it is a reminder that the destruction was not only of infrastructure but of lives, dreams and futures. Without serious political change — including lifting blockades, ensuring Palestinian self-determination and accountability for past destruction — the rebuild will fall short of real recovery.
