UN, EU, World Bank Assessment Puts Gaza Rebuild Cost at $71 Billion

A joint Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment released April 20 by the European Union, United Nations, and World Bank estimates Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction needs at $71.4 billion over the next decade. The assessment calls for $26.3 billion within the first 18 months alone to begin meaningful rebuilding. Physical infrastructure damage accounts for $35.2 billion of the total, while economic and social losses reach $22.7 billion.

The assessment documents that approximately 371,888 housing units have been damaged or destroyed across the territory, more than half of all hospitals are no longer functional, and nearly every school has sustained damage or been destroyed entirely. The Gaza economy has contracted 84 percent since hostilities began, and roughly 1.9 million residents remain displaced from their homes. The findings warn that human development indicators in Gaza have been pushed back by 77 years.

The scale of the projected rebuild raises pressing questions about international funding commitments, oversight mechanisms, and the political authority that will manage reconstruction. With Hamas governance dismantled by Israeli operations, donors are weighing how to channel aid without empowering the terror group’s return. The assessment is expected to shape the agenda at upcoming donor conferences and frame negotiations over post-war Gaza governance. (UN/VFI News)

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” – Psalm 147:3