Rebuilding Gaza’s healthcare will take $10 billion over next five years, WHO says
A medical centre in Gaza City, March 2026
Ido Efrati reports in Haaretz on 28 April 2026:
Rebuilding Gaza’s healthcare system will require an estimated $10 billion over the next five years, according to a report published over the weekend by the World Health Organization.
Speaking at a briefing for journalists in Geneva, the WHO’s representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, Dr. Reinhilde van de Weerdt, said the funds would be used to repair war-damaged facilities, replace equipment, procure medicines and train new medical staff.
The briefing underscored the system’s dire condition: more than 1,800 health facilities, including major hospitals, primary care centers, clinics, pharmacies and laboratories, have been destroyed or damaged since October 7, 2023.
Medical teams are struggling to provide even basic care, with about 70 percent of medical equipment in the Strip depleted and roughly half of essential medicines unavailable. The WHO cited an almost total shortage of cancer treatments, adding that at least six cancer patients die each day due to delays in care.
WHO: Reconstruction costs in the coming years (in $ billions)
Next eight months: 11.36
9-18 months: 15.39
18-36 months: 24.29
3-5 years: 20.35
Already severely weakened, Gaza’s healthcare system is also contending with widespread wartime destruction and mass displacement. According to van de Weerdt, about 80 percent of Gaza’s 1,600 displacement camps report infestations of rodents and other pests that can spread disease, while more than 80 percent report widespread skin infections.
Van de Weerdt also addressed the evacuation of patients outside the Strip, describing the process as complex and saying that permits required from Israeli authorities hinder access to medical care abroad. She added that on Friday, 47 patients and 86 companions were evacuated via the Rafah Crossing in southern Gaza.
The WHO figures follow a joint report by the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank assessing damage and reconstruction needs in Gaza. The report, released last week, estimates the total cost of rebuilding the Strip, across housing, infrastructure, education, agriculture and healthcare, at at least $71.4 billion over the coming decade, with roughly $26.3 billion required in the next 18 months to restore critical infrastructure and essential services.
According to the report, damage to Gaza’s infrastructure is estimated at $35.2 billion, alongside $22.7 billion in economic losses. The housing sector has been hit hardest: more than 371,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, with losses estimated at $16.2 billion. Damage in the agriculture and food sectors is estimated at $10.5 billion, while Gaza’s economy has contracted by 84 percent as a result of the fighting.
The economic losses also incorporate projections up to three years ahead, led by healthcare ($6.8 billion) and employment ($2.8 billion).
In contrast to estimates by the United Nations and the World Bank, a reconstruction plan put forward by the Trump administration puts the required investment at $112.1 billion.
As part of the Peace Council convened by Trump, pledges totaling $17 billion were secured, $10 billion expected from the United States and $7 billion from other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.
However, according to reports, less than $1 billion has so far been disbursed, delaying the start of Gaza’s reconstruction.
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