In the war-torn Gaza Strip, 11-year-old Mohammed collects rubble from his ruined home, transforming it into gravel to make tombstones for victims of the conflict. His father, Jihad Shamali, who used to work in construction, now salvages materials from their wrecked house in Khan Younis to bury the dead. This grim scene is part of a larger struggle as Gaza faces the daunting task of clearing over 42 million tonnes of rubble created by Israel’s military campaign against Hamas. The United Nations estimates that this debris exceeds the damage from previous Gaza conflicts by 14 times, enough to fill Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza 11 times over.
Efforts to address this immense destruction are in their infancy. The United Nations’ Debris Management Working Group, in collaboration with local Palestinian authorities, is starting a pilot project in Khan Younis and Deir El-Balah to clear roadside debris. However, the scale of the task is monumental. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) estimates it could cost around $1.2 billion to clear 10 million tonnes of debris, and if the conflict stopped today, it would take 14 years to remove all the rubble.
The rubble isn’t just a logistical issue; it contains bodies and unexploded bombs, further complicating removal efforts. Health concerns are mounting as well. Gaza’s air, soil, and water may be contaminated by harmful dust, including asbestos fibers. Doctors fear long-term health effects, such as respiratory illnesses, cancers, and birth defects, due to the toxic materials buried in the rubble.
Despite these challenges, Gaza’s lack of land and resources makes recycling the debris a possible solution for rebuilding. Industrial crushers are needed to process the material, but Israel’s tight control over crossings has delayed the entry of vital machinery and fuel. The rubble itself poses a problem as property boundaries have become unclear, with some property records lost during the war. Additionally, the uncertainty of Gaza’s political future has led some donors to hesitate in investing in reconstruction efforts.
As Gaza’s rubble continues to pile up, the monumental task of clearing it seems almost insurmountable, with lasting consequences for the region’s infrastructure, health, and future stability.
