Gaza is buried under more than 61 million tons of rubble after two years of war, with three-quarters of the buildings destroyed, according to UN figures analysed by Agence France-Presse.

According to satellite analysis by the UN’s UNOSAT programme, by 8 July 2025 the Israeli army had destroyed or damaged nearly 193,000 buildings in the densely populated area, representing about 78% of the buildings that existed before the conflict began on 7 October 2023.

In an assessment of images from September 22-23 of Gaza City, the UN agency estimated that an even higher percentage – 83% – of buildings there had been damaged or destroyed.

The total 61.5 million tons of debris is nearly 170 times the weight of New York’s Empire State Building and equates to over 169 kilograms of debris for every square meter of Gaza’s small territory.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), nearly two-thirds of the rubble was created in the first five months of the war. Building destruction also accelerated in the months leading up to the current ceasefire.

Eight million tons of debris were created between April and July 2025, mostly in the southern part of the territory between Rafah and Khan Younis.

A preliminary analysis published by UNEP in August warned that the debris posed a serious health risk to the exposed population.

The UN agency suggests that at least 4.9 million tonnes of debris may be contaminated with asbestos from old buildings, particularly near refugee camps such as those in Jabalia in the north, Nusayrat and al-Magazi in the centre, and Rafah and Khan Younis in the south. UNEP also said that at least 2.9 million tons of debris may have been contaminated with “hazardous waste from known industrial facilities.”