The war in Gaza has ravaged the Palestinian territory’s economy and is threatening its very survival, the United Nations warns, calling for “immediate and substantial” international intervention.
Rebuilding the Gaza Strip will cost more than $70 billion and could take several decades, the UN Trade and Development agency (UNCTAD) says in a new report, warning that war and restrictions have triggered an “unprecedented collapse across the Palestinian economy.”
“The military operations have significantly undermined every pillar of survival” from food to shelter to healthcare, “and plunged Gaza into a human-made abyss,” it says.
“The sustained, systematic destruction casts significant doubt on the ability of Gaza to reconstitute itself as a liveable space and society.”
Even “in an optimistic scenario of double-digit growth rates facilitated by a significant level of foreign aid, it will take several decades for Gaza to return to pre-October 2023 welfare levels,” it says.
UNCTAD calls for a “comprehensive recovery plan” combining “coordinated international assistance, restoration of fiscal transfers, and measures to ease constraints on trade, movement and investment.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
