Sunday, April 28, 2024

Gaza’s post-war reconstruction cost estimated at $90bn

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has stated that rebuilding the Gaza Strip after the end of the war could cost more than $90bn.

“The cost of rebuilding the Gaza Strip amounts to $90 billion,” Sisi said when speaking in Cairo.

During his speech, el-Sisi also emphasised Egypt’s position that it would not allow Palestinians to be forcibly displaced into Egyptian territory by Israel.

“We will not assist the separation of Palestinians from their land,” he continued, adding Cairo is ready to keep the Rafah crossing open to get aid in.

Gaza’s Government Media Office has also announced that the destruction caused by Israel in the enclave since October 7 amounts to more than $30bn due to the damage to homes, facilities, and other infrastructure, including road, electricity, water and sewage networks.

The office noted that five months into the war, 80 percent of the homes in Gaza have been rendered “uninhabitable”.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas, in which less than 1,200 people were killed.

At least 30,960 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and 72,500 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza, leaving its population, particularly residents in the north, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

› Subscribe

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

More Articles