This Report runs from 7th October 2023 until 31st January 2024
I have concentrated on the executive summary for the extracts but will also add from the main body of the Report. [It is protected by copyright:
© 2024, the World Bank, the European Union, the United Nations.
While physical destruction in Gaza is severe in every sector of the economy, the housing sector and population centers have sustained the majority of damages. As of end of January 2024, direct damage of around US$18.5 billion has been inflicted on the built infrastructure of Gaza, equivalent to 97% of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of West Bank & Gaza in 2022. Over four fifths of damages are concentrated in the two sectors of residential buildings (72% of the total) and the commerce, industry, and services sector (9% of the total) with the remaining 19% of damages sustained on other critical infrastructure and services such as education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health, energy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), municipal services, and transport. Nearly 80% of total damage occurred in the governorates of Gaza, North Gaza, and Khan Younis.
Overall damage costs/ and breakdown by sector
This interim damage assessment estimates that around US $ 18.5 billion in direct damages has been caused to the built infrastructure of the Gaza Strip by end of January 2024. This is equivalent to around 97% of the total 2022 GDP of the West Bank and Gaza Strip25. The results show that the physical and the corresponding monetary impacts caused by the conflict are dominated by damages to residential buildings(72% of the total), followed by damages to the physical assets of the Commerce, Industry, and Services sector (9% of the total), while effects on other critical infrastructure such as education, WASH, health, energy, ICT, municipal services, transport account for the remaining 19% (figure 2). The sectors with the highest estimated damage include housing with approximately US $13.29 billion and the Commerce, Industry, and Services sector with US $1.65 billion followed by agriculture with US $629 million, Health at US $554 million, WASH at US $503 million, environment (incl. the removal of rubble) at US $411 million, transport at US $358 million, and education at US $341 million [see figure 1]
Comparison with the 2021 and 2014 conflicts
The level of destruction in the Gaza strip since October 2023 is unprecedented. In the social sectors alone, damages are more than 90 times higher than damages during the 2021 conflict and 17 times higher from the 2014 conflict (figure 5). The total cost of damages as of end of January, 2024, is approximately US$18.5 billion compared to the US$338 million in damages caused during the 2021 conflict and US$1.38 billion during the 2014 conflict. Housing sector damages, at US$13.29 billion, have been particularly extreme so far compared to previous episodes, such as the US$144 million estimated following the 2021 conflict. In the Commerce, Industry, and Services sector, the cost of US$1.65 billion, are over 41 times greater in the present conflict than the US$40 million estimated after the 2021 conflict. Damage to infrastructure sectors during this ongoing conflict is more than nine times greater than following the 2014 conflict.
Education
For a 15-year-old student living in Gaza, the current conflict would be the fifth and most devastating conflict she or he has lived through with the education system coming to a complete halt. Damage to education infrastructure amounts to US$341 million. The education system in Gaza has effectively collapsed, impacting all of the 625,000 students and 22,564 teachers. An estimated 56 school facilities have been destroyed, and 219 have been partially damaged. Many remaining schools are being used as shelters for IDPs. Tertiary education institutions have significantly suffered too, with an estimated 17 universities and college campuses, 63% of the assessed campuses, destroyed or partially damaged. Casualties among students and teachers continue to rise, emphasizing the profound human impact of the crisis. Children, including those living in shelters, are exhibiting alarming signs of emotional distress and trauma. The psychosocial impact of the conflict on children and youth are summarized in sections below.
The Report is well worth a read it is not very long only about 28 pages or so.
The $ cost may be the least of the damage and easiest to repair.
The Gazan physical and mental health costs may well dwarf the infrastructure costs.
This report does not include the other occupied territories.
May I suggest this website and report By Forensic Architecture?
Contact: info@forensic-architecture.org
Humanitarian Violence: Israel’s Abuse of Preventative
Measures in its 2023-2024 Genocidal Military
Campaign in the Occupied Gaza Strip
These two reports, when coupled together, give an excellent visualization of the state of affairs in Gaza.
Forensic Architecture is also useful for the War in Ukraine which preoccupies many.
I hope you find this information useful and informative
~A
