Gaza 'survival' at stake, UN warns

Israel's war on Gaza has ravaged the Palestinian territory's economy and is threatening its very survival, the United Nations warned Tuesday, calling for "immediate and substantial" international intervention.

Rebuilding the Gaza Strip will cost more than $70bn and could take several decades, the UN Trade and Development agency, Unctad, said in a new report, warning that war and restrictions had triggered an "unprecedented collapse across the Palestinian economy".

"The military operations have significantly undermined every pillar of survival," from food to shelter to healthcare, "and plunged Gaza into a human-made abyss," it said.

"Even in an optimistic scenario of double-digit growth rates facilitated by a significant level of foreign aid, it will take several decades for Gaza to return to pre-October 2023 welfare levels."