Rebuilding Gaza will cost more than £50bn, says UN and EU

More than 60% of the Gaza population have lost their homes in the war, a new report says, with human development "set back by 77 years". Middle East correspondent@adamparsons Monday 20 April 2026 19:40, UK While the focus of many in the Middle East has been on conflicts in Lebanon and Iran, the scale of damage in Gaza is also back under scrutiny. A new report from the United Nations and the European Union says that rebuilding Gaza will take more than £50bn. It says that more than 370,000 homes have been destroyed, half of Gaza's hospitals are not working and the strip's economy shrunk by 84% during the Israel-Hamas conflict. Be the first to getBreaking News Install the Sky News app for free These are some of the starkest findings of the report, designed to assess the scale of both destruction and the work required to restore Gaza over the next decade. The report, known as the Rapid Damage Needs and Assessment, concludes that 1.9 million people have been displaced, often on multiple occasions, with more than 60% of the population losing their homes, and claims that human development has been "set back by 77 years". It claims that £19.5bn ($26.3bn) is needed over the next 18 months in order to restore essential services, including banking and phone communications, rebuild critical infrastructure - such as schools, hospitals and sanitation - and support Gaza's economic recovery. Read more:How VR headsets are helping children caught in warToddler released from Israeli custody with suspected torture wounds Man 'tried to break into London's Israeli embassy armed with two knives', court hears Cars and homes burnt as Israeli settlers rampage through occupied West Bank Al Quds march banned in London after police cite 'severe' risks Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News The report says the "minimum conditions" needed for recovery and reconstruction to succeed are "a sustained ceasefire and adequate security". It also calls for unimpeded humanitarian access, free movement of people, goods and reconstruction materials between Gaza and the West Bank, and a "functional, transparent financial system".