In the ruins of his two-story home, 11-year-old Mohammed collects pieces of the fallen roof in a broken bucket and pours them into the gravel that his father will use to build a grave for victims of the Gaza war.
“We bring debris not to build houses, but for graves and graves – from one misery to another,” says his father, former construction worker Jihad Shamli, 42, as he is rescued from his home in the southern city. Metal cuts from Khan Yunis, damaged during an Israeli attack in April.
The work is hard, and sometimes even difficult. In March, the family built a grave for one of Shamli’s sons, Ismail, who was killed while doing household chores.
But it is also just a small part of efforts beginning to deal with the debris left by Israel’s military campaign to eliminate the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
The United Nations estimates there is more than 42 million tons of debris, including collapsed buildings, those still standing, and flattened buildings.
The UN said this is 14 times the amount of debris accumulated in Gaza between 2008 and the start of the war a year ago, and five times the amount of debris left during the battle for Mosul in Iraq in 2016-17.
When stacked, it would fill the Great Pyramid of Giza – Egypt’s largest – 11 times. And it is increasing every day.
Three UN officials said the UN was trying to help as Gazan authorities consider how to deal with the debris.
The UN-led Debris Management Working Group plans a pilot project with Palestinian authorities in Khan Yunis and the central Gazan city of Deir al-Balah to begin clearing roadside debris this month.
“The challenges are enormous,” said Alessandro Maracic, head of the Gaza office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), who is co-chairing the working group. “It’s going to be a big operation, but at the same time, it’s important that we start now.”
The Israeli military has said that Hamas fighters hide among civilians and will be attacked wherever they emerge, while also trying to avoid harming civilians.
Asked about the debris, Israel’s military unit COGAT said it aimed to improve waste management and would work with the United Nations to expand those efforts. Mrakic said coordination with Israel is excellent but detailed discussions on future plans have yet to be done.
tent among the ruins
Israel launched its offensive after Hamas militants entered Israel on October 7 last year, killing about 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 250 hostage.
Palestinian health officials say nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the year-long conflict.
On the ground, debris is piled high above pedestrians and donkey carts on narrow dusty paths that were once busy roads.
“Who will come here and clear the debris for us? No one. So, we did it ourselves,” said taxi driver Yusri Abu Shabab after clearing enough debris from his Khan Younis home to pitch a tent. Yusri Abu Shabab said.
According to UN satellite data, two-thirds of Gaza’s pre-war structures – more than 163,000 buildings – have been damaged or leveled. About a third were high-rise buildings.
After a seven-week war in Gaza in 2014, UNDP and its partners cleared 3 million tonnes of debris – now 7% of the total. Mračić cited an unpublished preliminary estimate that clearing 10 million tons would cost $280 million, which would mean about $1.2 billion if the war stopped now.
UN estimates from April showed it would take 14 years to clear the debris.
hidden bodies
Marakik said the debris included about 10,000 bodies and unexploded bombs, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The International Committee of the Red Cross says the threat is “widespread” and U.N. officials say there is a risk of major injury from some of the debris.
Nizar Zurub of Khan Yunis lives with his son in a house where only a roof remains, hanging at a precarious angle.
The UN Environment Programme, citing assessments of Gaza’s eight refugee camps, said an estimated 2.3 million tonnes of debris could be contaminated, some of which have been affected.
Asbestos fibers can cause larynx, ovarian and lung cancer if inhaled.
The World Health Organization has recorded nearly one million cases of acute respiratory infection in Gaza last year, without saying how many cases are linked to the dust.
WHO spokeswoman Bisma Akbar said the dust is a “significant concern”, and that it can contaminate water and soil and cause lung disease.
Doctors fear that the leaking metals will lead to an increase in cancer and birth defects in the coming decades. A UNEP spokesperson said snake and scorpion bites and skin infections from sand flies were of concern.
shortage of land and equipment
Gaza debris has previously been used to help build ports. The United Nations now hopes a portion will be recycled to strengthen the road network and coastline.
UNDP says Gaza, which had a pre-war population of 2.3 million in an area 45 km (28 mi) long and 10 km wide, lacks the space needed for settlements.
The landfills are now in Israeli military territory. Israel’s COGAT said they were in a restricted area but would be allowed entry.
More recycling means more money to finance equipment like industrial crushers, Mrakik said. They must enter through crossing points controlled by Israel.
Government officials report shortages of fuel and machinery due to Israeli sanctions that slow clearing efforts. A UNEP spokesperson said the lengthy approval process was a “major hurdle”.
Israel did not specifically comment on allegations of restricting the machinery.
UNEP says it needs permission from the owners to remove debris, yet the scale of the destruction has blurred property boundaries, and some property records have been lost during the war.
Since the meeting hosted by the Palestinian government in the West Bank on August 12, several donors have expressed interest in helping, Marakik said, without naming them.
A UN official, requesting anonymity to avoid undermining ongoing efforts, said: “Everyone is concerned about whether to invest in the reconstruction of Gaza if there is no political solution.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
