If the alliance between Israel and Hamas were to stop today, it would still be necessary until 2040 to rebuild all the houses that have been destroyed in almost seven months of Israeli bombing and ground offensives in the territory, according to United Nations estimates published Thursday.
The United States has pressured Israel to increase aid deliveries during the war, and on Wednesday Israel reopened a border crossing with the hard-hit northern Gaza Strip for the first time since it was damaged at the start of the war.
Meanwhile, on his seventh visit since the latest war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed for a ceasefire deal. The proposed truce would release hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a cessation of fighting and the delivery of much-needed food, medicine and water to Gaza. Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be released as part of the deal.
On October 7, Palestinian militants launched an unprecedented attack in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250 hostages. Israel says militants are still holding about 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
The death toll in Gaza exceeds 34,500 Palestinians, according to local health officials, as the territory faces a humanitarian catastrophe. The war has driven around 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes, caused widespread destruction in several towns and cities, and brought northern Gaza to the brink of famine.
At the moment:
— Nonstop coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East is halted due to protests and police actions at American schools.
— The president of Colombia says that the country will break diplomatic relations with Israel over the war in Gaza.
– The Biden administration is weighing measures to help Palestinians bring family members from the region.
– Blinken pressures Hamas to seal a ceasefire with Israel, saying “now is the time” to reach a deal.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Here’s the latest:
BEIRUT – Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that the bodies of 28 people killed by Israeli strikes were taken to local hospitals over the past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 51 wounded, he said in his daily report.
That brings the total number of Palestinian deaths from the war between Israel and Hamas to at least 34,596, the ministry said, and 77,816 wounded. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its counts, but says women and children account for about two-thirds of the dead.
The Israeli military says it has killed about 13,000 militants, without providing evidence to support that claim.
AMMAN, Jordan — If the war in Gaza were to stop today, it would still take until 2040 to rebuild all the homes that have been destroyed in nearly seven months of Israeli bombing and ground offensives in the territory, according to United Nations estimates released on Thursday.
“Every additional day that this war continues is generating enormous and compounding costs for Gazans and all Palestinians,” said United Nations Development Program Administrator Achim Steiner.
At least 370,000 homes in Gaza have been damaged, including 79,000 completely destroyed, according to the new report by the UNDP and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, which details how Israel’s attack, launched after the Hamas attack on October 1, 7, has devastated the economy of the Palestinian territories, and how the impact will increase the longer the conflict lasts.
After previous conflicts between Israel and Hamas, housing was rebuilt at a rate of 992 units per year. Even if Israel allowed a five-fold increase in construction material into Gaza, it would take until 2040 to rebuild destroyed homes, without repairing damaged ones, the report said.
In Gaza, the Israeli offensive has virtually paralyzed the economy, which shrank by 81% in the last quarter of 2023. The report says that “the productive base of the economy has been destroyed,” with sectors experiencing losses of more than 90%. %.
Gaza, home to some 2.3 million Palestinians, has been under blockade by Israel and Egypt since Hamas took power in 2007, imposing strict controls on what enters and leaves the territory. Even before the war, it faced “hyperunemployment” of 45%, rising to almost 63% among younger workers. Since the war began, it has lost some 201,000 jobs.
The war has also impacted the West Bank, where Israel has imposed restrictions on movement for months. In 2024, the entire Palestinian economy – including Gaza and the West Bank – has so far contracted by 25.8%, and if the war continues the loss will reach 29% in July, equivalent to $7.6 billion, according to the report.
BEIRUT – The Palestinian militant group Hamas praised Colombian President Gustavo’s announcement that his government will sever relations with Israel, saying such a move is a recognition of the suffering of the Palestinian people.
In its statement Thursday, Hamas called on Latin American leaders to cut their countries’ diplomatic relations with Israel, which it described as “a rebellious and fascist entity that continues its crimes against our people.”
Historically, Colombia was one of Israel’s closest partners in Latin America. But relations between the two nations have cooled since Gustavo Petro was elected as Colombia’s first leftist president in 2022.
Petro announced that his government will break diplomatic relations with Israel starting Thursday and described the Israeli siege of Gaza as “genocide.” He previously suspended arms purchases from Israel and compared that country’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany. Hamas said it highly valued Petro’s stance.
Weeks after October. The September 7 attack by Hamas in southern Israel that sparked the current war in Gaza and killed some 1,200 people, Petro reminded Colombia’s ambassador to Israel while criticizing the country’s military offensive.