Rubble hampers relief efforts as Gaza municipality begins clearing streets amid 90% devastation

Gaza Municipality said on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, that 90% of the streets in Gaza City have been destroyed either wholly or partially due to the Israeli war.

Gaza Municipality, in cooperation with the Arab International Agency for Reconstruction in Palestine, is continuing intensive efforts to open streets and remove rubble across the city, aiming to enable residents to return to their homes and to facilitate movement of emergency and ambulance vehicles, with the ceasefire entering its fifth consecutive day.

The municipality’s spokesman said that 90% of Gaza City’s streets have been destroyed wholly or partially due to the Israeli war, and that reconstruction and debris removal cannot begin without opening the city’s main streets.

He said there are 50 million tons of rubble resulting from the Israeli war.

The municipality said it is currently working on 20 streets that are accessible at this time, noting that field conditions persist in some areas where municipal crews cannot reach.

The Gaza government media office said the destruction has affected more than 90% of civilian infrastructure and 300,000 housing units.

According to the latest UN data based on satellite images taken between September 22 and 23, around 83% of buildings in Gaza City were damaged, of which approximately 17,734 buildings were completely destroyed.

The World Health Organization estimated the cost of rebuilding the health sector in Gaza at more than $7 billion.

Amjad Al‑Shawa, director of the Network of Civic Organizations in Gaza, said rubble is hindering relief efforts in Gaza City and Khan Younis in particular.

Al‑Shawa said, “We are waiting to allow the entry of dozens of aid trucks amassed at the Kerem Abu Salem crossing.”

He added, “No shelter supplies have yet entered Gaza, and the rubble is hindering relief efforts in Gaza City and Khan Younis in particular.”