Rajagopal, the U.N. independent investigator on the right to adequate housing, told reporters Friday that “the ferocity” of destruction in Gaza wasn’t seen in the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

By January 2024, Rajagopal said, 60-70 percent of all homes in Gaza were destroyed, and in northern Gaza it was 82 percent of homes.

“It is far worse than that right now,” particularly in the north which is approaching the 100 percent level, he said.

Rajagopal said a recent report by the U.N. Development Program estimated that in May there were over 39 million tons of debris in Gaza, and he said that rubble is mixed with unexploded ordnance, toxic waste, asbestos from collapsed buildings, and other material.

“The groundwater pollution and the soil contamination are so catastrophic that we don’t know if they can ever be remedied in time for people to move back at least within this generation,” he said.

How long will it take to rebuild Gaza?
 

Rajagopal said first the debris has to be removed, secondly there must be financing, and then “there is another big elephant in the room, which is that no reconstruction can happen unless the occupation ends.” That’s because Israel has restricted building materials and equipment to rebuild, which it contends have dual uses, he said.

After the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza, Rajagopal said, less than 1,000 homes were built every year.

The UNDP report estimated that about 80,000 homes have been destroyed in the current war, so it would take about 80 years to rebuild if the occupation continues, he said.

The Israeli war on Gaza has so far killed more than 42,400 people, mostly women and children.

The relentless Israeli bombardment has reduced the Gaza Strip to rubble and displaced the vast majority of Gaza's 2.4 million population at least once.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.