Two Years Of War Leave Gaza Buried Under 61 Million Tonnes Of Debris

After two years of war, Gaza is buried under more than 61 million tonnes of debris and three quarters of buildings have been destroyed, according to UN data analysed by AFP.

The fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which came into effect on October 10 under pressure from US President Donald Trump, opens the way for the reconstruction of the devastated territory. 

This will require managing the immense amount of rubble.

170 Empire State Buildings

As of July 8, 2025, the Israeli army had damaged or destroyed nearly 193,000 buildings in the densely populated territory, representing about 78 percent of existing structures before the conflict began on October 7, 2023, according to satellite analysis by the United Nations' UNOSAT programme.

In an assessment of images from September 22-23 of Gaza City, the UN agency estimated that an even higher proportion -- 83 percent -- of buildings there had been damaged or destroyed. 

The total 61.5 million tonnes of debris is nearly 170 times the weight of New York's Empire State Building and is equivalent to over 169 kilogrammes of debris for each square metre of Gaza's small territory.

Nearly two-thirds of the debris was made in the first five months of the war, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The destruction of buildings also accelerated in the months leading up to the current ceasefire. 

Eight million tonnes of debris were generated from April to July 2025, mostly in the southern part of the territory between Rafah and Khan Yunis.

Toxic waste 

A preliminary analysis published by UNEP in August warned the debris poses a serious health risk to the exposed population. 

The UN agency suggests that at least 4.9 million tonnes of debris could be contaminated with asbestos from old buildings, particularly near refugee camps such as those in Jabaliya in the north, Nuseirat and al-Maghazi in the centre, and Rafah and Khan Yunis in the south. 

UNEP also reports at least 2.9 million tonnes of debris could be contaminated with "hazardous waste from known industrial sites".

The Israeli army relentlessly bombarded the Gaza Strip in response to the unprecedented attack carried out by Hamas on Israeli soil on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 68,280 people in Gaza -- mostly civilians -- according to figures from the Hamas-run government's health ministry considered reliable by the UN. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)