CAIRO, February 2. /TASS/. The damage done to the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel’s operations since October 2023 is estimated at more than $50 billion, according to Gaza’s authorities.
"The damage done by combat operations is preliminarily estimated at more than $50 billion, the war has affected all spheres of life in Gaza," they said in a statement posted on Telegram.
Gaza residents will have to restore not only housing, but also medical establishments, schools and universities, as well as religious facilities and utilities systems, they added.
According to Gaza’s authorities, as many as 17,881 minors and 12,316 women have been killed in the course of Israel’s military operation and 14,222 people are still missing. The overall death toll stands at 47,487 people, with 111,588 more being hurt.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion on Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting more than 240 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave.
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said late on January 15 that thanks to the mediatory efforts of Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held in the enclave. During the first 42-day phase of the deal, Hamas will release 33 hostages in exchange for Israel freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The agreement came into effect on January 19.