The spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Jonathan Fowler, stated on Monday that the extensive destruction caused by the Israeli attacks on Gaza would require more than 20 years for reconstruction.
Fowler highlighted the massive scale of the rebuilding efforts needed, particularly for the education system, ensuring children can return to school, and restoring damaged clinics.
Fowler explained that the immense level of destruction presents significant challenges, with mountains of rubble and debris and people living amidst the ruins.
Additionally, there are numerous unexploded bombs and ordnance, complicating the rebuilding process.
Fowler emphasized the extraordinary toll on UNRWA, which has lost 192 staff members since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, a number unprecedented since the UN’s establishment in 1945.
About 170 UNRWA facilities in Gaza have been damaged to varying degrees due to the attacks. Schools have been particularly affected, with education halted since the beginning of the conflict and many schools being repurposed as emergency shelters for displaced residents seeking safety under the UN flag.
The airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of about 450 civilians and injured over 1,400 in or near UNRWA facilities.
Fowler noted a pattern of Israeli disregard for UN sites, stating that there is no ambiguity about the locations of these sites, yet they have been directly targeted. Despite Israeli calls to replace UNRWA with other UN agencies, Fowler affirmed the agency’s commitment to continue its operations in Gaza. He stressed that UNRWA operates under a specific mandate from the UN General Assembly.
UNRWA was established by a UN General Assembly resolution in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees in its five areas of operation: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza.
