WB estimates damage of 18.5 billion dollars in vital infrastructure in Gaza

Washington. The World Bank (WB) maintains that the conflict between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas has caused about $18.5 billion in damage to the vital infrastructure of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, according to a report released on Tuesday.

This is equivalent to 97% of the combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022, according to the study carried out jointly by the WB, the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU).

The work partially evaluates the damage recorded by Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, carried out in retaliation for the attack launched by Hamas in the south of the country at the beginning of last October.

The report maintains that the destruction of homes represents a large part of these “vital infrastructures” destroyed – 72% -, while 19% corresponds to the health, education and services sectors (19%). The remaining figure corresponds to commercial and industrial facilities.

There are currently more than a million homeless people, out of the total of 2.2 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip before the start of the conflict. This is double the previous estimate, published in mid-December.

Even worse. More than half of the population is on the brink of starvation, while almost all suffer from malnutrition or food insecurity.

Regarding health equipment and facilities, 84% were destroyed or damaged, compared to 60% at the end of 2023. Those that still function have almost no water or electricity to care for their patients or the injured.

The piped water supply and sanitation system was only operating at 5% capacity in early October and Gaza’s education system is considered to have completely collapsed. Also, 92% of the primary road network was destroyed.