PHOTO: Destruction of the 10-storey Al-Masry Tower in Gaza, Emad El Byed on Unsplash
Civilian death, infrastructure destruction and complete collapse of the educational and healthcare system. This has been the landscape that has shattered Gaza’s backbone. Defined by its long-standing geopolitical tensions and competing claims to land from both Palestinians and Israelis, Gaza has frequently seen recurring acts of violence, displacement, accused human rights abuses and numerous failed peace negotiations.
Is rebuilding actually possible for a state in this position?
Reconstruction, as defined by Public Policy Professor Sultan Barakat, involves a “range of holistic activities in an integrated process designed not only to reactivate economic and social development, but at the same time to create a peaceful environment that will prevent a relapse into violence”. If Germany and Japan were able to rebuild their countries after being devastated by wars, will this be possible for Gaza or are things too far gone?
The steep road ahead for Gaza’s recovery
Notwithstanding the ongoing conflict that has defined the area since the late 19th century, between 7 October 2023 and 9 August 2026, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 73,386 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip and an additional 174,256 Palestinians became injured. Further, 1,258 of these fatalities and 4,295 of these injuries occurred despite the announcement of the ceasefire agreement on 10 October 2025.
Beyond human casualties, physical infrastructure is completely decimated with the damage estimated to cost $35.2 billion and subsequent recovery and reconstruction approximated to cost around $71.4 billion throughout the next decade. Educational infrastructure, including schools and universities, have also mostly been destroyed.
Likewise with water and sanitation, the coastal aquifer which was Gaza’s primary source of fresh water was already 95% depleted and severely contaminated with nitrates and chlorides prior to the conflict. Across the city, the conflict’s effects have led to the spread of dangerous diseases including Polio and Hepatitis A.
The physical landscape of Gaza has been diminished to over 66 million tonnes of rubble, including unexploded military equipment, asbestos and the yet to be recovered human remains of 8,000–11,000 Palestinians. This rubble presents lethal risks to clearance workers and surrounding communities, yet it must be cleared before any rebuilding can take place.
Gaza is a “disaster zone”.
It needs urgent humanitarian, political resolution and architectural reconstruction. Without resolve, the conflict will continue to neglect the population of basic necessities and significantly undermine the chances of the remaining few surviving.
PHOTO: Destruction in the Jabalia Camp in Gaza, Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash
But, how can reconstruction begin in such an environment? Can Gaza be rebuilt in the same way that Japan and Germany were? Should support from the West be accepted?
The feasibility of different plans for recovery in Gaza
PHOTO: City Urban Development, toxi 85 on Pixabay
Most notably, US President Donald Trump put forward his own plan for a “New Gaza” in January 2026, which would be rebuilt from the rubble into “a destination” including skyscrapers and a dedicated zone for “coastal tourism”. This reconstruction scheme was later minimised to a small pilot project confined to the south of the Gaza Strip. The pilot project would include the settlement of portable cabins for tens of thousands of displaced people, prioritising the former inhabitants of Rafah and humanitarian relief services would be allowed entry. As stated by a diplomat in Jerusalem, “the aim is just to keep something going, keep the ball in play”.
More recently, on 31 July 2026, following negotiations with the US Board of Peace, Hamas said it was willing to disarm in the region and hand over its weapons incrementally. This agreement suggested progress being made towards reconstruction and more stability in the region, however, was hindered by Israel’s rejection due to wanting Hamas to withdraw weapons first before incremental steps from the 15-point plan could begin.
Ultimately, the US Board of Peace’s visions for rebuilding Gaza are fragile and depend heavily on cooperation and compromise from both Hamas and Israel for implementation. In light of the upcoming October elections in Israel, Netanyahu’s rejection of peace efforts is likely to persist so that he can compete with other far-right parties which have advocated for permanent Israeli settlement in the region. More importantly, the US’ proposal for reconstruction requires significant funding and under President Trump, much of this will be sourced through private security contractors. Likened to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), funding from private security contractors leaves scope for them to neglect humanitarian needs by reporting to Israeli military authorities as opposed to neutral humanitarian organisations. The consequences of such an approach could be disastrous as the GHF previously confined aid to only four locations in the South of Gaza, preventing aid from reaching areas where hunger was most pronounced and forcing civilians to travel long distances on dangerous routes. While somewhat ambitious in its aims, the US does not adequately consider rehabilitating the displaced population and where it does, it is largely hindered by domestic interests of Israeli political parties.
Previously, under his Gaza 2035 plan — as detailed by The Jerusalem Post — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu imagined rebuilding Gaza through the development of a “massive free trade zone”. Firstly, across a one-year period, the 2035 plan intended for areas to gradually be freed from Hamas control and for the entry of humanitarian aid under the guidance of a coalition of Arab countries. Secondly, security would be maintained across Gaza primarily through Israeli security while a Gaza Rehabilitation Authority (GRA) would be created through the Arab coalition to manage reconstruction and associated finances. After receiving foreign economic aid to rebuild its industrial production streams and undergoing a deradicalisation program, Israel intends for governance in the region to be shifted to a Palestinian government, while still retaining the right to intervene against “security threats”.
While potentially intending to stabilise trade relations within the Middle East region and advance trade revenue for Gulf states, the Gaza 2035 plan largely excludes local Gazans from political decision-making, potentially fostering ‘disaster capitalism’. The proposed governance structure is almost entirely internationally-based, directly conferring responsibility for reconstruction schemes and financing onto Arab countries rather than Palestinians. Furthermore, the establishment of the trading market largely relies on Israel appropriating Gaza’s energy reserves and 141 square miles of land, and converting shared resources into private profit sources. Overall, such a plan leaves Palestinians vulnerable to foreign political interference and deprival of economic security.
Contrastingly, an Arab-Islamic reconstruction plan, led by Egypt, laid out at the 2025 Arab League summit in Cairo presents a plan that preserves Palestinian statehood. It focuses on protecting the Palestinians who live there from expulsion, diverting Hamas from the region and shifting governance back to the internationally recognised Palestinian government in the West Bank through first establishing a committee of experienced bureaucrats to manage the Strip for a six month period. This proposal also included an elaborate $53 billion reconstruction blueprint which would likely have to be financed by the wealthy Gulf Arab states including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The Arab plan is significant because it places Palestinians at the forefront of reconstruction and does not further displace an already vulnerable population, exposed to refugee camps and unstable living arrangements. Yet, this plan underestimates the extent of destruction across the region, aiming to clear rubble — which will likely take six years to be managed — within the span of just six months. Moreover, the materials required for rebuilding would need to travel through the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza which Israel has regularly heavily guarded. Ultimately, any funding from the Gulf states will only materialise once Hamas is fully disarmed, which has not even begun incrementally.
Reconstructing Gaza remains a dream for many Palestinians. The conflict has destroyed families, educational and healthcare systems and basic living facilities. While attempts have been made by external powers, including states and non-government organisations, to stabilise the geopolitical conflict in Gaza; ultimately this is not enough. Lasting peace and resolution requires compromise from and mutual agreement between Israel and Hamas. Reconstruction plans must be grounded in the humanitarian needs of the people, preserve the role of the people in decision-making and pragmatically consider the viability of reconstruction timelines.
As said by a Woman Leader, “before rebuilding the stone, we must begin with the people”.
