Ahmed Abu Qamar: Destruction in the Gaza Strip has extended from homes and facilities to the arteries on which life and the economy depend

Ahmed Abu Qamar:

▪Destruction in the Gaza Strip has extended from homes and facilities to the arteries on which life and the economy depend, from roads and electricity to water, sanitation and communications, making reconstruction a battle that goes beyond building structures to restoring the foundations of economic activity.

▪According to data from the United Nations satellite center “UNOSAT,” more than 200,000 buildings were damaged, equivalent to 82% of all buildings, as of 16 June 2026, including more than 134,000 destroyed buildings, while the number of damaged housing units exceeded 328,000.

▪The figures show that about 87% of the road network is destroyed or damaged, while damage or destruction affected about 90% of water and sanitation infrastructure, and about 90% of energy infrastructure. The war of extermination also destroyed 81% of communications and information technology assets, while the remaining assets were damaged.

▪The effects of these figures are not limited to asset losses, but mean higher costs for transporting food and fuel, disrupted water supplies, difficulty operating health facilities and providing public services, and increased costs of any productive or commercial activity.

▪Damages to the transport sector were estimated at about 3.21 billion dollars, the water and sanitation sector at about 1.7 billion dollars, municipal services at about 620 million dollars, energy at about 570 million dollars, and communications at about 200 million dollars.

▪Reconstruction is not limited to building homes, but begins with removing rubble and repairing roads and water, electricity and sanitation networks, as the essential infrastructure needed for the return of residents, resumption of production, and revitalization of markets and economic activity. With the continued restrictions imposed on the entry of heavy equipment, spare parts, fuel and maintenance materials, repair work is disrupted and recovery costs rise, while emergency solutions remain limited and unsustainable.