Gaza is facing a vast and hazardous operation to clear an estimated 61 million tonnes of war debris, much of it concealing unexploded ordnance, damaged infrastructure, and human remains.

In a report from Gaza City, The Guardian documented the difficult work being carried out by UN and aid teams, who are clearing roads, crushing rubble for reuse, and searching for areas where bodies may remain buried.

The UN estimates that removing most of the debris could take seven to 10 years and cost billions of dollars, highlighting the scale of the recovery challenge facing the besieged Strip.

61 million tonnes of debris 

It took an entire day to clear a section of road in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighborhood. By the end, Ahmad Alyan, a UN engineer, was exhausted, with enormous piles of debris still surrounding him despite hours of work.

“I feel as if we are holding a spoon and trying to empty the sea,” Alyan told The Guardian, sweat running down his forehead after a long, hot summer day.

Alyan is part of a World Food Programme (WFP) team working on Beirut Street, which was once a major thoroughfare crowded with shops, offices, homes, vehicles, and pedestrians. Today, it is almost deserted.

“The estimate of the total amount of rubble in Gaza is 61m tonnes. It is approximately 20 times the amount of rubble generated in all wars across the world over the last 18 years,” said Jaco Cilliers, the UN Development Programme’s special representative in Palestine.

Source:Websites