The War on Gaza Left 61.5 Million Tons of Rubble

SadaNews - While the two-year war in Gaza has led to the destruction of most buildings and buried the area under more than 61 million tons of rubble, there remains hope that a ceasefire agreement may pave the way for the reconstruction of the devastated sector.

The United Nations Satellite Analysis Program (UNOSAT) reported that by July 8, 2025, the war had resulted in the destruction or damage of around 193,000 buildings of various types in the Palestinian sector, which is equivalent to 78% of the buildings that existed before October 7, 2023, the date the war erupted.

Based on images collected on September 22 and 23, the agency estimated that 83% of the buildings in Gaza City alone were destroyed or damaged.

The report clarified that the amount of debris in the Palestinian sector, which reaches 61.5 million tons, is approximately 170 times the weight of New York's iconic Empire State Building, or 6,000 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

This also equals 169 kilograms of rubble for every square meter of the Palestinian sector, which has an area of 365 square kilometers.

According to the United Nations Environment Program, two-thirds of the rubble was a result of military operations during the first five months of the war.

Moreover, the months leading up to the ceasefire also saw an escalation in the destruction of buildings.

Between April and July 2025, 8 million tons of damage and destruction were recorded, mostly in the southern sector between Rafah and Khan Younis.

In a related context, preliminary estimates from the United Nations Environment Program published in August indicated that this rubble poses health risks to residents, with the program estimating that 4.9 million tons may be contaminated with asbestos used in older buildings located particularly near refugee camps such as Jabalia in the north of the sector, and Nuseirat and Maghazi in the center, as well as Khan Younis and Rafah in the south.

In addition, 2.9 million tons of debris resulting from former industrial sites may be contaminated with chemicals and other toxic products, according to the same program.