With two thirds of the Strip's buildings damaged or destroyed, the U.N. estimates that the debris generated in 12 months of conflict amounts to 42 million tonnes.

Jerusalem

The United States has joined Israel in striking nuclear targets in Iran. It follows an escalating broader conflict in the region including the ongoing Gaza war.

Iran Strikes

The Gaza Strip has undergone significant devastation due to a year of conflict following Hamas' attacks on Israeli communities. These events marked by Hamas attacking and kidnapping from Israeli communities are said to have resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the taking of nearly 250 hostages, according to Israeli records. Concurrently, estimates from the United Nations indicate over 41,700 lives have been lost in the course of Israel’s military operations aimed at dismantling Hamas. Images captured by the UN Satellite Center, UNOSAT, disclose that over two-thirds, approximately 163,778 of Gaza’s pre-war structures, have been damaged or destroyed.

In the city of Khan Yunis, Gaza’s second-most affected area, more than 19,000 buildings are reported damaged. Across Gaza, over 42 million tonnes of debris now accumulate, surpassing prior conflict-related destruction in the region, according to the UN. The rebuilding challenges are manifold, requiring extraordinary planning and resources, with projections citing a need for at least $1.2 billion and 14 years to eliminate the rubble if hostilities cease. Safety hazards, including potential asbestos contamination and the presence of unexploded ordnance as referenced by the Palestinian Health Ministry, amplify the complexity of reconstruction tasks.

Debris clearance is urgent but fraught with logistical constraints. Land designated for debris storage encompasses military zones, further complicating efforts. Additionally, Gaza faces a shortage of fuel and machinery, reportedly hampered by Israeli restrictions. Israel did not offer a direct response to these reports.



The challenges of rebuilding Gaza

The once-bustling streets of the Gaza Strip have been transformed into an eerie landscape of dusty craters, twisted wires and crumpled buildings. After a year of Israeli bombardment following Hamas' October 7 attacks, the densely populated enclave with a pre-war population of 2.3 million has been pulverized. Here in the southern city of Khan Yunis, more than 19,000 buildings have been damaged, data from the UN Satellite Center UNOSAT shows. It is the second worst-affected area. The first is northern Gaza. Jihad Shamali, who lost a child in March, has been displaced four times since Israel's offensive began. In any city in Gaza, you find rubble in the streets. Every street we enter, we find rubble. Gaza is not a war. Gaza had an earthquake worse than war. We've been through a grinder. Gaza's been through a grinder this year. The destruction we saw, we've never seen in all of history. The other thing, we get the rubble not to build houses, no, but for tombstones and graves, from one misery to another. Hamas attacked Israeli communities on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel says Hamas hides fighters among the general population in Gaza. The militant group denies this. Israel says it will strike Hamas wherever they emerge, while trying to reduce harm to civilians. Palestinian health authorities say more than 41,700 people have been killed since the start of Israel's military campaign. UNOSAT shows two-thirds of Gaza's pre-war structures have been damaged as Israel tries to eliminate Hamas. That's a total of 163,778 structures. Each block in this visualization represents a destroyed or damaged building. If placed all together, it would look something like this. More than three times as many buildings as those in the New York City borough of Manhattan. And the UN estimates that more than 42 million tons of debris are piled up in the strip. That's over 14 times the rubble accumulated in all the conflicts in Gaza since 2008, and enough to fill the Great Pyramid of Giza 11 times. As you can imagine, the challenges are huge. Alessandro Mrakech is from the United Nations Development Program, part of a group working with local authorities on a pilot project to clear debris. So this will require proper planning, very detailed planning, considering all the, not only the volume, but all the risks. It's going to be a massive operation, but at the same time, it's important that we start now because debris removal is a life-saving activity at this point. The UN estimates that it would take 14 years and at least $1.2 billion to safely dispose of the rubble if the war stopped now. But the scale of destruction is only one of the challenges. Conflict debris differs from normal, controlled construction and demolition waste, as it contains unrecovered bodies, in this case as many as 10,000, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, and unexploded bombs. And the dust produced can be contaminated with heavy metals from munitions and household or industrial chemicals. All pose huge health and safety risks. I can give you 100% assurance that people are being exposed to massive amounts of pollutants, metal contamination in water, in air, in food. Mojgan Sababieh-Sfahani is an environmental toxicologist who has worked extensively in Iraq. Those kinds of exposures will end up causing all kinds of DNA damage in mothers' reproductive cells, in fathers' reproductive cells. And that would culminate in a horrific rise in birth defects in children in Gaza. The contents of busted sewage pipes underneath the debris can contaminate water supplies and provide an environment for disease-transmitting insects or a home for snakes and scorpions. The rubble is also a good environment for sandflies, which can spread skin infections. The United Nations Environment Programme, or UNEP, estimates that 2.3 million tonnes of the debris generated in this conflict could be contaminated with asbestos. It is mainly found in the older buildings and structures of Gaza's eight crowded refugee camps, some of which have been hit. With prolonged exposure, the asbestos fibres are inhaled and over time can cause diseases including lung, larynx and ovarian cancers and fibrosis of the lungs, according to the World Health Organization. Experts say asbestos-related diseases usually take 10 to 50 years to emerge. The path ahead is also littered with practical difficulties. UN experts say Gaza lacks the 1,300 acres of land needed to store all the rubble. And landfills are now in an Israeli military zone. Israel's military unit, Kogat, says they were in a restricted area, but access would be granted. Government officials report fuel and machinery shortages as Israeli restrictions slow clear-up efforts. Israel did not specifically comment on these allegations. The UNEP says it will need owners' permission to remove rubble, but the scale of the destruction has blurred property boundaries, and some property records have been lost in the war. Asked about the debris, Kogat said it aims to improve waste handling and will work with the United Nations to expand efforts. Several donors have expressed interest in rebuilding Gaza. But a UN official who asked to remain anonymous told Reuters that, quote, everyone is concerned whether to invest if there is no political solution in place.

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Iran Strikes