UN and EU Say More Than $1.2 Trillion Needed for Gaza Reconstruction

JAKARTA - The recovery and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, Palestine which was hit by war requires more than 71 billion US dollars (Rp. 1,217,298,550,000,000), according to an EU-United Nations (UN) assessment published on Monday.

In their last Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), the UN and EU said more than two years of war in the Palestinian territory "has led to an unprecedented loss of life and a dire humanitarian crisis."

"The need for recovery and reconstruction is estimated at around 71.4 billion US dollars (1,224,156,570,000,000)," said the assessment, which was developed in coordination with the World Bank, reported Al Arabiya from AFP (21/4).

Most of Gaza - including schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure - has been devastated by a devastating Israeli military offensive after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

The final assessment determines that $26.3 billion (Rp450,914,815,000,000) will be needed in the first 18 months to restore essential services, rebuild critical infrastructure, and support economic recovery.

"Damage to physical infrastructure is estimated at US$35.2 billion (Rp603,505,760,000,000), with economic and social losses reaching US$22.7 billion (Rp389,192,635,000,000)," the joint statement said.

Gaza is under a fragile ceasefire agreed last October, following two years of devastating conflict sparked by Hamas's offensive against Israel on October 7, 2023.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures collected by AFP. Palestinian militants also kidnapped 251 hostages.

Israel's military campaign in retaliation has killed more than 72,000 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

According to RDNA, around 371,888 housing units have been destroyed or damaged, more than 50 percent of hospitals in the region are not functioning and almost all schools have been destroyed or damaged.

At the same time, 1.9 million people - almost the entire population of Gaza - have been displaced, often multiple times, and more than 60 percent of residents have lost their homes, according to the assessment.

"Gaza's economy has shrunk by 84 percent," the assessment said.

"The scale and extent of the deficiencies in various aspects of life, livelihoods/income, food security, gender equality, and social inclusion, have hindered human development in the Gaza Strip for 77 years," the assessment said.

The UN and the European Union stressed that "given the scale of the enormous needs, recovery efforts must run parallel to humanitarian action" in Gaza, ensuring "a transition from emergency aid to reconstruction on a large scale."

They stressed that recovery and reconstruction must be "led by the Palestinians", and include an approach that actively supports the transfer of governance to the Palestinian Authority, in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2803.

The resolution, adopted last November, welcomed the establishment of US President Donald Trump's Peace Council to support Gaza reconstruction.

The UN and the EU also stressed that "a series of supporting conditions" are needed for the resolution to be effectively implemented on the ground.

These conditions include, in particular, "a sustainable ceasefire and adequate security", as well as "unhindered humanitarian access and the immediate restoration of essential services", and "the free movement of people, goods, and reconstruction materials, within and between Gaza and the West Bank."

Without these conditions, they warned, "neither recovery nor reconstruction will succeed."