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Palestinians estimate Gaza damage at $1.4 billion

by Amy Judd | January 15, 2009 at 08:53 pm

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Palestinian officials estimate the damage from Israel's offensive in Gaza to cost about $1.4 billion at this time. According to the Palestinian Statistics Bureau, about 26,000 Gazans are living in temporary shelters, and cannot live in their homes.

They also estimate that about 20,000 residential buildings have been damaged so far, about 4,000 have been completely destroyed.

Surveyors reporting to the bureau said public buildings were also destroyed including 18 schools and university buildings, roads, bridges, power lines and water and sewage pipes.

The bureau put the cost of reconstruction at close to $1 billion, with daily losses of revenues amounting to an additional $420,000. With fighting continuing, it said the final cost could be much higher.

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poor oligarch (not verified)

at 02:48 on January 16th, 2009

The houses and ugly concrete apartment blocks have been abandoned and mostly reduced to shells, their walls pockmarked by shrapnel. The commercial greenhouses have been crushed. The metal roof of what used to be a factory or warehouse has been sent crashing to the ground.
The vegetable fields have been churned up by tanks and bulldozers. There is not a Palestinian to be seen.

Journalists have been allowed in Gaza travelling with the IDF, above from Martin Fletcher in The Times

Surely the under-reported toll of the infrastructural damage will be much greater