Dive Brief:
- The war between Hamas and Israel has damaged or destroyed more than 20,000 homes, and it could take up to 20 years to rebuild.
- Shelter Cluster, an international organization of the United Nations and the Red Cross, estimates that the conflict—in addition to previous military actions in the region—has left Gaza with a housing deficit of 75,000 units.
- A Shelter Cluster report released last Friday stated that the main cargo crossing between Israel and Gaza can support 100 truckloads of building materials each day.
Dive Insight:
Gaza’s rebuilding effort will be slow, in part, because Israel limits the amount of construction materials like concrete that can move into Gaza for fear that they will be hijacked by militants and used to build tunnels that will help them with their attacks.
In addition to the decades that it will take to rebuild Gaza's infrastructure, economists estimate that the construction projects could cost upwards of $6 billion.