Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN independent investigator on the right to adequate housing, explained to reporters on Friday that the “brutality” of the destruction in Gaza was not evident in the conflicts in Syria andUkraine.
Rajagopal continued that by January 2024, between 60 percent and 70 percent of all homes in Gaza had been destroyed, and in northern Gaza the percentage was 82 percent of homes.
He added, “It is much worse now,” especially in the north, where the destruction rate is close to 100 percent.
The mission did not comment Israel The United Nations has the statements of the United Nations rapporteur.
Rajagopal said that a report had recently been issued on the programme United Nations UNDP estimated that in May there were more than 39 million tons of… Debris in Gaza, He said the rubble was mixed with unexploded ordnance, toxic waste, asbestos from collapsed buildings and other materials.
“Groundwater pollution and soil pollution have reached such a catastrophic situation that we do not know whether they can be remedied in time so that people can return at least within this generation,” he said.
In response to a question about how long the process of rebuilding Gaza will take, Rajagopal said that first the rubble must be removed, secondly there must be funding, and then “there is another big problem, as reconstruction cannot be done unless the occupation ends.”
He said that this situation is due to the fact that Israel imposes restrictions on construction materials and equipment, which it claims have dual uses.
Rajagopal said that after the 2014 war in Gaza, less than a thousand homes were built every year.
He added that United Nations Development Programme It is estimated that 80,000 homes have been destroyed in the current war, so the reconstruction process will take 80 years if the occupation continues.
