Israel’s retaliatory actions have killed at least 32,916 people in Gaza (file photo)
The World Bank said Israel’s war with Hamas has caused an estimated $18.5 billion in damage to Gaza’s critical infrastructure, according to a new report released on Tuesday.
This is equivalent to 97% of total economic output in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2022, the World Bank said in its provisional damage assessment, which covers the period from the outbreak of the conflict on October 7 to the end of January.
The report, co-written by the United Nations and the European Union, found that structural damage affected “all sectors of the economy”, with more than 70% of the estimated costs being caused by damaged housing.
Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7 kicked off the bloodiest Gaza war in history, killing about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
According to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, Israeli retaliation has killed at least 32,916 people, mostly women and children.
Following the attack, Israeli forces conducted heavy aerial bombardments and continued ground operations inside Gaza, reducing much of the territory to rubble and causing an estimated 26 million tons of rubble.
“For some sectors, damage rates appear to be leveling off as few assets remain intact,” the central bank said.
In addition to structural damage, the report found that more than half of Gaza’s population is on the brink of famine, with the entire population “experiencing severe food insecurity and malnutrition.”
An estimated 84% of Gaza’s health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, and three-quarters of the population have been displaced by the fighting, leaving more than one million people homeless.
The report, created using remote data collection sources, found that Gaza’s water and sanitation systems are “near collapse” and are producing less than 5% of their pre-war output.
According to the World Bank, 100% of Gaza’s children are out of school due to the collapse of the education system, while 92% of major roads have been destroyed or damaged.
The report calls for “increased humanitarian assistance, food assistance and food production; providing shelter and rapid, cost-effective and scalable housing solutions for displaced people; and restoring basic services.”
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