According to the final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA) released by the UN and EU in coordination with the World Bank, $26.3 billion is urgently needed within the first 18 months to restore essential services, rebuild critical infrastructure, and kick-start economic recovery.
The assessment breaks down the total figure into $35.2 billion for physical infrastructure damages and $22.7 billion in economic and social losses. Gaza’s economy has shrunk by 84 per cent, while human development indicators have been set back by an estimated 77 years due to severe deprivation in living conditions, income, food security, gender equality, and social inclusion.
The UN and EU, in a joint statement, described the situation as having caused “unprecedented loss of life and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis” after more than two years of war in the Palestinian territory.
The conflict was triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,221 people, mostly civilians, and led to the abduction of 251 hostages, according to official Israeli figures.
In the ensuing Israeli military offensive, more than 72,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians have been killed, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
The United Nations considers these figures reliable.
The destruction has left much of Gaza in ruins, with 371,888 housing units destroyed or damaged. More than 50 per cent of hospitals are now non-functional, and nearly all schools have been destroyed or severely damaged.
Nearly the entire population of 1.9 million people has been displaced, often multiple times, with over 60 per cent losing their homes.
Gaza is currently under a fragile ceasefire that was agreed in October last year.
The assessment underscores the massive scale of reconstruction required across housing, health, education, and broader economic sectors to help the territory recover from the crisis.
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