Rebuilding Gaza. Rimal in Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike – Photo by Photo by Naaman Omar, APAimages.

Architecture – “A new and beautiful day is rising, and now the rebuilding begins,” announced Donald Trump, praising world leaders who helped cement the truce between Israel and Hamas. The U.S. President’s words signalled not just a political turning point but the dawn of a vast, unprecedented architectural and humanitarian task: rebuilding Gaza.

• RELATED STORIES: Read more about the Israel-Hamas war on Archipanic.

Gaza War Map, updated on October 11, 2025 – Photo by Ecrusized, influenced by user Rr016, Wikimedia.

The so-called Trump Peace Deal brought an end to two years of devastating conflict that claimed 67,000 lives and injured more than 170,000 people within the Gaza Strip. Yet, beyond the diplomatic gestures, the territory lies in ruins. Drone footage reveals the catastrophic scale: 462,000 buildings—92% of Gaza’s built fabric—have been destroyed or damaged.

The urban grid has collapsed. All major infrastructures – water, electricity, sewage – as well as roads, hospitals, and schools need to be rebuilt. Fields have turned into wastelands; crops and orchards are gone. 2.1 million Palestinians—95% of the population—have been displaced. Many live in tent cities, under plastic sheets stretched across makeshift frames.

Who will lead the reconstruction?

Forced Displacement of Gaza Strip Residents – Photo by Jaber Jehad Badwan.

Trump’s Peace Plan proposes the redevelopment “for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.” The plan envisions a sweeping reconstruction, guided by international groups responsible for some of the Middle East’s modern “miracle cities,” although the details remain largely aspirational. No mention of turning the territory into a luxury real estate project for a Middle East Riviera, as previously flagged by Trump himself.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was supposed to lead the Board of Peace, an international body providing a transitional technical government. But the US President now hesitates, casting a shadow on Blair’s role, amid ongoing criticisms of his role in the Iraq War.

Who will pay for the reconstruction?

A street in northern Gaza pictured in the aftermath of the siege during the initial phase of the 2025 ceasefire – Photo by Jaber Jehad Badwan.

In February 2025, a report issued by the World Bank, together with the UN and the EU, estimated it will take about 53$ billion in a period of over 20 years. Most recent estimates suggest the total cost of rehabilitation could be around $65 to $70 billion. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that European and Arab nations, Canada, and the U.S. appeared willing to contribute to the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild Gaza, a U.N. official said, adding that the two-year war there had produced rubble equal to 13 times the pyramids of Giza. But will $70 billion be enough?

Photo by Naaman Omar, Apaimages.

Following the Iraq war, the U.S. spent over $60 billion on reconstruction between 2003 and 2014. But they did not anticipate that ISIS would come and the war would resume. The international community had to put another $60 billion into repairing ISIS-related destruction. Similar concerns arise for Gaza, as investors fear repeated losses. Earlier this year, Qatari Prime Minister Mohamed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stated, “We cannot have an investment every time and something happens and it just gets destroyed and we do it again.”

Clearing the rubble

A mosque destroyed in the Jabalia area of the Gaza Strip – Photo by Jaber Jehad Badwan.

Rebuilding Gaza begins with over 60 million tonnes of debris waiting to be cleared. “Rubble must be removed, but of course, there are human remains and unexploded bombs. It will take a long time – even decades.” Neta Crawford, co-founder of The Cost of War project and professor at the University of Oxford, told Al Jazeera.

There follows a process of sorting, separating, and crushing debris. Once plastics and steel are extracted, the remaining concrete can be ground down, ready to be repurposed. Philip Bouverat, former JCB executive, highlights the logistical dimension: “This isn’t going to be done by trucks coming across the border. The first thing we need to do is build a deep-water port, because then you can bring thousands of container-loads in.”

Rebuilding Essential Infrastructure

Before new buildings rise, Gaza’s infrastructure must be restored. Drinking water and sanitation facilities have been severely impacted: according to UNICEF estimates, over 70% of the territory’s 600 facilities are non-functional, and all six wastewater treatment plants – critical for preventing sewage build-up and disease spread – are damaged. “It’s very hard to know where to start. We’re talking about damaged wells, reservoirs, and carrier lines,” says Maher Najjar, deputy director at the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility. “We need at least $50 million just to restore 20% of services. The total loss? Around $1 billion, maybe more.”

Electricity presents another layer of collapse. Most of Gaza’s supply came from Israel and the diesel-fired Gaza Power Plant. With fuel shortages and widespread damage to solar facilities, the region has endured near-total blackouts since October 2023. According to a joint assessment by the World Bank, EU, and UN, more than 80% of power generation and distribution assets are destroyed or non-operational, with estimated damages of nearly half a billion dollars.

Agriculture and the Landscape

Gaza’s agricultural base has also been decimated: 97% of tree crops, 95% of shrubland, and 82% of annual crops were lost. The destruction will have long-term impacts on ecosystems, biodiversity, food security and the health of residents, ecologists and academics say. Clearing the land of unexploded ordnance is urgent if residents are to regain autonomy over food production. “If they can grow their own crops, they can feed themselves, and the sooner we do that, the better,” said former JCB executive Philip Bouverat.

Architecture as Healing

Aerial view of Al-Mawasi area where displaced Palestinians live in tents, Gaza Strip – Photo by Ashraf Amra, UNRWA-United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.

Rebuilding Gaza is an ethical, cultural, and urban challenge: to create a city that respects memory, fosters resilience, and serves the population. How to rebuild streets, neighbourhoods, and public spaces that were obliterated while addressing water, energy, and sanitation needs? How to integrate ecological recovery into urban planning?

Trump’s Peace Plan sets the stage, but history and architecture must now write the next chapter. Beyond political negotiations, reconstruction requires vision, international support, and, crucially, the participation of local architects, engineers, and communities.

“A new and beautiful day is rising, and now the rebuilding begins,” Said Trump. The promise of renewal hangs in the air. Beneath the rubble, beneath the silence, Gaza’s rebirth also awaits the careful hands of architects, planners, and citizens—an urban resurrection of both space and hope.