UN: Clearing 40m tonnes of rubble in Gaza will take 15 years

An assessment by the United Nations found it would take up to 15 years to clear the almost 40 million tonnes of the rubble caused by Israeli attacks in Gaza, highlighting the intense challenge of rebuilding the enclave.

Israel has dropped over 70 tonnes of explosives on the Gaza Strip, turning much civilian infrastructure into rubble.

A total of 137,279 buildings have been damaged in Gaza, over half of the total, according to the UN Environment Programme.

Over a quarter of these buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, while almost a tenth are severely damaged and a third are moderately damaged.

It would require a fleet of over 100 lorries and cost between $500m (£394m) and $600m. Depending on how much could be recycled, 250 – 500 hectares of landfill sites would be needed to dump the rubble.

Forty-four years of development in health, wealth and education in Gaza could be destroyed as Israel continues its war.

Gaza has faced intense bombardment by Israeli forces since 7 October, which has killed over 38,664 civilians, mostly women and children. The death toll does not include the approximate 10,000 civilians who are either missing or trapped under the rubble.

Hundreds of hospitals and healthcare facilities have been impacted, with 32 rendered non-operational. Churches and mosques have also been destroyed, and 168 public buildings have been damaged. Sixty-five percent of buildings destroyed in Gaza have been residential.

Most of the damage has been in northern Gaza, with almost 80 percent of buildings being destroyed or damaged.

In January, the UNDP estimated post-war reconstruction of Gaza would be $20 billion, however, this has since doubled and continues to rise as Israel continues its offensive.

On top of that, removing the rubble and rebuilding Gaza would have to be slow due to the threat of shells, missiles or other weapons buried within the debris.