GAZA, (PIC)
The Ministry of Public Works in Gaza reported that more than a quarter of a million housing units have been completely or partially destroyed and are now uninhabitable due to the ongoing genocide against the enclave for over a year. The ministry said in press remarks on Monday that over 80% of the roads have been completely destroyed and need comprehensive rehabilitation.
These figures reflect the extent of the widespread destruction inflicted on the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and highlight the enormous challenges that will face the reconstruction process in the future. Earlier, UN housing expert Balakrishnan Rajagopal confirmed that the brutality of the destruction in Gaza has not been seen in previous conflicts, whether in Ukraine or Syria. Rajagopal explained in a press statement that by January 2024, between 60% to 70% of all homes in Gaza had been destroyed, with the rate in North Gaza reaching 82%.
He said, “The situation is much worse now, especially in the north, where the destruction rate is nearing 100%,” noting that a recent report from the United Nations Development Program estimated that as of May, there were more than 39 million tons of debris in Gaza. He added, “The rubble is mixed with unexploded ordnance, toxic waste, asbestos from collapsed buildings, and other materials,” emphasizing that “groundwater pollution and soil contamination have reached a catastrophic level, to the extent that we do not know if they can be treated in time for people to return, at least within this generation.”
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation, with full American support, has been waging a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in over 142,000 martyrs and wounded, the majority of whom are women and children, along with 10,000 missing under the rubble and in the streets, as Israeli occupation forces prevent rescue teams from reaching them. There has been massive destruction of infrastructure and a deadly famine. The northern Gaza Strip has been under heavy Israeli firepower for the past 17 days, amid killings, destruction, displacement, starvation, and direct targeting of hospitals in the largest ethnic cleansing operation and acts of genocide since the war began, resulting in over 500 martyrs. This assault is accompanied by cuts to communications and the internet, isolating 200,000 people from the outside world.
