DaysofPal- A United Nations official has warned that thousands of Palestinian bodies remain buried beneath the rubble in Gaza as recovery and reconstruction efforts move at a slow pace following more than two years of the Israeli genocidal campaign.
In remarks to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the official, working with the United Nations Development Programme, said an estimated 8,000 bodies are still trapped under collapsed buildings across the enclave. The official noted that less than 1% of the debris has been cleared so far, cautioning that, at the current rate, the process could take up to seven years to complete.
Many of the bodies are believed to be decomposing under the rubble, while families continue to wait for their loved ones to be recovered and given proper burials. The estimates are based on recent data from the Palestinian Civil Defense, which has highlighted the severe lack of equipment and resources needed to accelerate debris removal.
A separate assessment published last month by the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank placed the total cost of recovery and reconstruction in Gaza at approximately $71.4 billion over the next decade.
According to the joint report, around $26.3 billion will be required within the first 18 months alone to restore basic services, rebuild critical infrastructure, and support economic recovery. The assessment found that physical damage to infrastructure amounts to roughly $35.2 billion, while economic and social losses are estimated at $22.7 billion.
The report identified housing, healthcare, education, trade, and agriculture as the sectors hardest hit. More than 371,000 housing units have been destroyed or damaged, over half of Gaza’s hospitals are no longer operational, and nearly all schools have been affected. The territory’s economy has also contracted by an estimated 84%.
Beyond physical destruction, the report highlighted the war’s profound human impact. It estimated that human development in Gaza has been set back by 77 years. Around 1.9 million people have been displaced, often multiple times, while more than 60% of the population has lost their homes.
Women, children, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups are bearing the heaviest burden, the report said. It stressed that recovery efforts must proceed in parallel with ongoing humanitarian assistance to ensure a structured transition from emergency relief to large-scale reconstruction across both Gaza and the West Bank.
The report further emphasized that rebuilding efforts should be Palestinian-led and aligned with a broader political framework, supporting governance under the Palestinian Authority in accordance with international resolutions, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803.
The recovery efforts must integrate emergency humanitarian aid with long-term reconstruction to ensure a stable transition for the most vulnerable groups, including women, children, and people with disabilities, who continue to bear the heaviest burden of the war’s aftermath.
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