It could take 350 years to rebuild Gaza’s economy if it remains under a blockade, a UN report has warned.
The organisation has previously estimated that rebuilding Gaza fully after the Israel-Hamas conflict could drag on for decades, but a new report from the UN’s trade and development wing now speaks in terms of centuries.
The report says if the war ended tomorrow and the region returned to the status quo prior to Hamas’s 7 October attacks, it could take 350 years for its economy to return to its already shaky pre-war level.
Gaza’s economy had been impacted by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed after Hamas seized power in 2007, four previous wars and divisions between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
“Once a ceasefire is reached, a return to the pre-October 2023 status quo would not put Gaza on the path needed for recovery and sustainable development,” the UN report said.Â
“If the 2007- 2022 growth trend returns, with an average growth rate of 0.4%, it will take Gaza 350 years just to restore the GDP levels of 2022.”
Report author Rami Alazzeh clarified that the figure was more of a calculation than a prediction.
Israel has not commented on the report.