Buildings lie in ruins along as-Saftawi Street in Jabaliya in northern Gaza, in the days after the cease-fire came into effect. (Credit: Omar al-Qattaa/AFP)
The cease-fire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas, in effect as of Jan. 19, also gives the green light to initial efforts to restore the devastated infrastructure of Gaza. Given the widespread destruction, which has left the majority of the besieged enclave in ruins — especially its north, where entire neighborhoods have been reduced to ruins — the first steps toward reconstruction will focus on establishing temporary housing solutions, according to reports from the Israeli outlet Haaretz.
The plan involves setting up tent encampments funded by the international community to accommodate displaced residents while long-term reconstruction efforts are launched. Israel has committed to allowing for the entry of Egyptian construction companies and the import of heavy equipment, iron, and other essential materials, Haaretz reported.
Large-scale reconstruction is outlined in the cease-fire agreement as part of its third and final phase, which is expected to last "three to five years" and will prioritize roads, schools, hospitals, and water, sewage, and electricity networks, all of which have suffered catastrophic damage.
However, a U.N. damage assessment released earlier this week revealed that Israeli bombardment of Gaza has left it strewn with over 50 million tonnes of rubble that could take 21 years and $1.2 billion to clear, a necessary precursor to rebuilding the largely flattened landscape.
The extent of the destruction
A damage assessment conducted by the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) in December 2024 found that 69 percent of all of Gaza's buildings, about 170,812 in total, have been damaged. During the nearly 15 months of war, more than 90 percent of the population was displaced within the Strip, often multiple times. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that by January 2024, at least 68 percent of Gaza's road network had been damaged during the conflict.
Cost and duration of reconstruction
According to a September 2024 projection by the United Nation Development Program (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Arab States, the total cost of rebuilding Gaza exceeds $40 billion. Some more recent estimates hovered around $80 billion. The initial recovery phase alone, aimed at restoring basic services and essential infrastructure, is expected to cost between $2 and $3 billion and to last three to five years.
Special Rapporteur on adequate housing for the U.N.,Balakrishnan Rajagopal, warned last October that under then-current conditions — blockade and limited access to building materials — reconstruction could take up to 80 years. Even in an optimistic scenario where Israel increases by five times the number of permits for the entry of building materials to Gaza, the rebuilding of destroyed buildings alone would not be completed before 2040, not taking into account buildings requiring repairs.
Before reconstruction can even begin, Gaza faces the colossal challenge of clearing more than 50 million tonnes of rubble, the remains of what was destroyed. The U.N. has warned that with over 100 trucks working at full capacity, it would take 15 years to completely clear the debris. These clearing operations are also particularly dangerous, since there are an estimated 7,500 tonnes of unexploded ordnances. According to an April 2024 report by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), a demining process could take up to 14 years.
A health system to rebuild
An assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Jan. 16, 2025, just three days before the cease-fire was set to being, specifies that more than $3 billion will be needed for the first year and a half, out of the $10 billion planned for a period of five to seven years, to rehabilitate Gaza's hospitals, clinics, and medical facilities. The $10 billion does not include the people of Gaza's profound humanitarian and medical needs.
The destruction of agriculture and food security
By July 2024, around 83 percent of all plant life in Gaza had been destroyed, according to a report from Forensic Architecture, a research group based out of the University of London. Israel's relentless bombing campaign has wiped out the majority of Gaza' agricultural land, nearly half of its greenhouses, more than half of its wells, and all of its waste water treatment plants.
Out of the 36,410 hectares of the Gaza Strip, 42 percent (15,053 hectares) were used for agricultural crops before the war. UNOSAT, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), reported in September 2024 that 68 percent of cultivable land suffered significant degradation in condition and density, significantly reducing the population's ability to provide for itself at a time when more than 90 percent of people in Gaza suffer from acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Program (WFP).
