The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported, citing informed sources, that Israel has agreed to bear the cost of removing the rubble in Gaza, an expense expected to reach hundreds of millions of dollars.
According to the same sources, Washington asked Israel to assume responsibility for clearing the massive quantities of debris generated by the war in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, the United Nations satellite analysis program UNOSAT stated that, as of 8 July 2025, the war had destroyed or damaged approximately 193,000 buildings of various types across the Palestinian enclave, representing 78% of all structures that existed before the conflict.
Based on satellite imagery collected on 22 and 23 September, the UN agency estimated that 83% of the buildings in Gaza City alone had been destroyed or damaged.
The UN report added that the volume of rubble in the Palestinian territory, which stands at 61.5 million tonnes, is equivalent to around 170 times the weight of New York’s iconic Empire State Building, or 6,000 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
This amounts to 169 kilograms of debris for every square metre of the Strip, which spans an area of 365 square kilometres.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) indicated that two-thirds of the rubble resulted from military operations carried out during the first five months of the war.
In related findings, preliminary assessments published by UNEP in August warned that the debris exposes residents to serious health risks. The programme estimated that 4.9 million tonnes of rubble may be contaminated with asbestos, a material used in older buildings particularly near refugee camps such as Jabalia in the north, Nuseirat and Maghazi in the centre, and Khan Younis and Rafah in the south.
Additionally, 2.9 million tonnes of rubble originating from former industrial sites may be contaminated with chemicals and other toxic substances, according to UNEP.
Last month, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Palestine, Francesca Albanese, said a new UN report concluded that the Israeli war on Gaza erased 69 years of human development through its destruction of healthcare systems, education, infrastructure, and even banks.
Albanese stressed that this represents the worst economic collapse ever recorded, adding, “This is not a war, it is genocide.”
The United Nations warned of an unprecedented collapse of the Palestinian economy in both the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, affirming that the two-year war erased the gains of decades of development and pushed Gaza into a state of total devastation.
The report noted that the extensive destruction of infrastructure, productive assets, and vital services has wiped out decades of social and economic progress in Gaza.
It further explained that Palestinian GDP per capita has fallen back to 2003 levels, equivalent to a loss of 22 years of development.
The resulting economic crisis is considered one of the ten worst global economic collapses since 1960.
The report also warned that the scale of destruction in Gaza means the territory will remain “entirely dependent on intensive international support”, and that recovery may take decades.
It added that the Israeli war has destroyed, on a massive scale, every pillar necessary for survival, including food, shelter, and healthcare, pushing Gaza to the brink of total collapse.
The report affirmed that rebuilding Gaza will require more than 70 billion dollars and could take decades, given the ongoing destruction and the absence of any basic infrastructure capable of rapid recovery.
