UN Report Puts Gaza Reconstruction Bill at $71.5 Billion
A UN report estimates Gaza needs $71.5 billion for recovery and reconstruction, with per capita GDP collapsing and unemployment at 78 percent.
A United Nations Trade and Development report released on Thursday estimates that the Gaza Strip will require 71.5 billion U.S. dollars for recovery and reconstruction, underscoring the scale of the damage inflicted on the territory's economy.
The assessment attributes the devastation to Israel's long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories, which it says has heavily constrained Gaza's economy, with the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since October 2023 sharply accelerating economic losses.
Macroeconomic figures in the report point to a partial but fragile rebound. After a steep contraction in 2024, Palestine's gross domestic product grew by 4.3 percent in 2025, yet remained 20 percent below its 2022 level.
The picture in Gaza is far more severe. Annual per capita GDP there fell to just 212 U.S. dollars in 2025, only 17 percent of its 2022 level, while unemployment climbed to 78 percent.
The human cost continues to mount. Gaza-based health authorities reported that 1,394 people have been killed since the ceasefire took effect in October last year, bringing the total death toll since October 7, 2023, to 73,914.