UN says Gaza development set back 60 years by war: Video
The Israel-Hamas war has pushed Gaza’s development back by six decades, according to Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Steiner painted a dire picture of the humanitarian and economic crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip. He revealed that approximately 70% of buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged, while critical infrastructure has been decimated.
"On a scale of destruction, we are not only talking about the infrastructure, where probably between 65% to 70% of buildings in Gaza have either been entirely destroyed or damaged,” Steiner told the AFP. “We are also talking about an economy that has been destroyed, where we estimate that roughly 60 years of development have been lost in this conflict over just 15 months.”
The UN estimates that around 42 million tons of rubble must now be cleared, a process made perilous by unexploded ordnance, landmines, and the risk of encountering unrecovered bodies. This cleanup will require meticulous planning and substantial international support to prevent further loss of life.
Steiner highlighted the collapse of basic public services, noting that Gaza’s two million residents now lack access to clean water, functional sewage systems, and waste management facilities. "You have to imagine, 2 million people who are in the Gaza Strip have lost not only their shelter, they've lost public infrastructure, sewage treatment systems, freshwater supply systems, and public waste management. All of these fundamental infrastructure and service elements simply do not exist," Steiner explained.
Rebuilding Gaza will require tens of billions of dollars, a financial commitment that Steiner acknowledged will be a significant challenge for the international community.
