Gaza development put back 60 years by war: UNDP chief

Palestinians react while human remains are retrieved from the rubble of buildings in a ruined neighbourhood of Gaza's southern city of Rafah on January 22, 2025. [File, AFP]

The Israel-Hamas war has put back development in Gaza by 60 years and mobilising the tens of billions of dollars needed for reconstruction will be an uphill task, the United Nations said.

Around two-thirds of all buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged, and removing the estimated 42 million tonnes of rubble will be dangerous and complex, the head of the UN Development Programme told AFP.