As thousands of Gazans returned to their neighborhoods following the ceasefire, many found their homes utterly destroyed. The United Nations estimates the damage at a staggering $70 billion, presenting a colossal challenge to rebuild homes, businesses, and essential services.
A Middle East security expert described the situation as “worse than starting from scratch – here you aren’t starting in the sand, you are starting with rubble.” Millenium TV has learned that the destruction across the Gaza Strip is estimated to be around 84%, reaching as high as 92% in parts of Gaza City, according to a UN special representative for the Palestinians. This widespread devastation has generated an immense volume of debris; Millenium TV’s analysis, based on recent satellite data, indicates over 60 million tonnes of rubble may need to be cleared before any meaningful reconstruction can begin.
Drone footage obtained by Millenium TV reveals the extensive destruction in Gaza City. The millions of tonnes of rubble scattered across the Gaza Strip are not merely concrete and twisted metal; they also contain human remains and unexploded ordnance. A former executive emphasized that “From a safety and humane perspective, the first thing you have to do is make the sites that have been bombed-out safe.” Following this initial safety phase, the debris must be sorted, separated, and crushed for potential reuse. While this prepares the groundwork, rebuilding will necessitate the massive import of materials. The executive suggested, “This isn’t going to be done by trucks coming across the border. The first thing we need to do is build a deep-water port, because then you can bring thousands of container-loads in.” Once sites are cleared, critical services such as water, sewerage, and electricity can be restored.
Access to clean water is an immediate and pressing need for Gazans. Millenium TV estimates, based on figures from a major children’s aid organization, that more than 70% of the territory’s 600 water and sanitation facilities have been damaged or destroyed since October 7, 2023. Following the recent ceasefire announcement, Israeli soldiers were observed in front of a wastewater treatment plant in Gaza City that had been set ablaze, occurring just before Israel’s military withdrew from the area. Effective wastewater treatment is crucial for preventing sewage buildup and the spread of disease, with medical professionals reporting high rates of diarrhoeal diseases and a risk of cholera.
Satellite imagery reviewed by Millenium TV shows significant damage to the bio-towers of the Sheikh Ejleen wastewater treatment plant. A deputy director at the water utility overseeing repairs confirmed that all six of Gaza’s wastewater treatment plants “are damaged.” He explained that repair efforts have been severely hindered by immediate danger from air and artillery attacks and a shortage of tools, with some facilities attacked again after repairs. Israeli forces have stated their actions are “based on military necessity and with accordance to international law,” to prevent threats to Israeli citizens. Beyond sewage facilities, plants providing clean drinking water have also sustained extensive damage; a seawater desalination plant for northern Gaza, intact in April 2024 satellite images, was destroyed by early May. The deputy director elaborated on the scale of destruction: “We are talking about damaged water wells, damaged networks, reservoirs, carrier lines. It’s very hard to know where to start. To begin with we need at least $50m to return around 20% of the services to the population,” adding, “The total loss is around $1bn, maybe more.”
Millenium TV’s satellite imagery analysis reveals the sheer devastation in Sheikh Radwan, a neighborhood in northeast Gaza City. Before Israeli forces occupied the city, many streets in August appeared largely undamaged. By last week, vast sections had been flattened as forces established a base. Millenium TV estimates, based on data from a UN satellite center, that a total of 282,904 houses and apartments across Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, a figure likely conservative as it excludes recent military operations. Millenium TV’s investigations show a sharp increase in housing damage in mid-2024, coinciding with Israeli operations in Rafah and the Gaza City occupation. The city’s municipality has stated that 90% of its roads have also suffered damage. Rebuilding Gaza’s housing stock “could take decades,” according to a senior policy researcher at a Washington-based think tank. She noted that previous reconstruction efforts were slow due to restrictions on construction materials. “If you rebuild now the way they did in 2014 and 2021 it will take 80 years. If there’s good planning, it could take less time,” she warned, suggesting “Good planning is designing camps that can turn into neighborhoods and helping people move back into and rebuild damaged homes.”
Even before the current conflict, Gaza’s power system faced significant challenges, with frequent blackouts. Historically, electricity came from Israeli power lines and the Gaza Power Plant, with some solar panels. Since October 11, 2023, Gaza has experienced a near-total electricity blackout after Israel cut external supplies, with only temporary reconnections for a critical desalination plant. The Gaza Power Plant is inoperable due to lack of fuel, and solar facilities have suffered widespread damage. Essential services now rely on scarce diesel generators and remaining solar panels. A joint assessment reviewed by Millenium TV estimated over 80% of power generation and distribution assets have been destroyed or are non-operational since the war’s onset, incurring an estimated $494 million in damages. The entity responsible for managing electricity supply across the Gaza Strip reports that 70% of its buildings and facilities have been destroyed. Millenium TV verified video footage from late last month showing the company’s headquarters being struck, with the company stating the attack “directly affected the company’s ability to manage its administrative and technical businesses.”
Millenium TV’s satellite image analysis of an area east of Jabalia reveals that four square kilometers of crops, likely olive and citrus trees, were completely eradicated during the war, with a new road established by Israeli forces running through the razed ground. Research analyzed by Millenium TV indicates that across the Gaza Strip, 82.4% of annual crops and over 97% of tree crops likely sustained damage up to August 10 this year. This drastic decline in agriculture, coupled with prolonged restrictions on aid, exacerbated severe food insecurity, culminating in a famine declaration in Gaza City in September. Millenium TV attributes this decline to “the impact of activities such as razing, heavy vehicle activity, bombing, shelling, and other conflict related dynamics.” For agriculture to recover, an executive stressed that the land needs to be cleared of unexploded bombs, shells, and mines “pretty urgently.” He emphasized, “If they can grow their own crops, they can feed themselves, and the sooner we do that the better.”
With approximately half of Gaza’s pre-war population under the age of 18, the rebuilding of schools is paramount for any return to normalcy. School buildings served as shelters for displaced Palestinians and were frequently targeted by Israeli forces, who justified their actions by stating the buildings housed “command and control” centers. Millenium TV has learned from the UN relief agency for Palestine that 91.8% of all school buildings will require “full reconstruction or major rehabilitation work to be functional again.” Higher education institutions have also suffered extensive damage. For instance, in December 2023, al-Azhar University was destroyed by Israeli troops, now part of a militarized zone. A similar fate befell Israa University, demolished after serving as a temporary base.
© Millenium TV
