Clearing rubble from Gaza could take nearly a decade of work, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNOPS Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva said in a statement released on Friday after a visit to the Strip.
"It is likely to take over seven years to clear this rubble," Moreira da Silva said. "Driving through endless roads of rubble, the level of destruction is overwhelming. Homes, schools, clinics, roads, water, and electricity systems have been levelled or severely damaged."
Moreira da Silva claimed that there are over 60 million tons of rubble in Gaza, enough to nearly fill 3,000 container ships, and enough for each person in Gaza to be surrounded by 30 tons of it on average.
He went on to claim that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was deepening.
"The harsh winter conditions and the heavy rains this week are doubling people’s misery and desperation," he said. "People are exhausted, traumatized, and overwhelmed."
The children of Gaza were brought up by da Silva as being at risk of becoming a "lost generation" from three years of physical and psychological wounds.
"For children, daily life is defined by loss and trauma. Out of school for a third year, they risk becoming a lost generation, their wounds - physical and psychological - are hard to heal with every day passing."
UN official says that Gaza suffers fuel crisis
The most crucial element of humanitarian aid needed in the Gaza Strip, Moreira da Silva said, was fuel.
"Fuel is the backbone of humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip. Without it, hospitals cannot run life-saving healthcare, water and sanitation systems shut down, food aid cannot be distributed, and communications and transport for emergency responders will be at risk."
The announcement of the second phase of the Gaza peace plan was welcomed as "the beginning of reconstruction," but da Silva cautioned that basic services were needed immediately in the Gaza Strip.
"I call for improved humanitarian access, the opening of all crossings and corridors - including the resumption of direct delivery of aid through the 'Jordan corridor' to Gaza," he said. He also called for the allowance of 'dual-use items,' materials prohibited by Israel because of their potential use for weapons or other war objectives by Hamas.
"It is long overdue to reach a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict so that Palestinians and Israelis can finally live in safety and dignity," da Silva's statement concluded.
Palestinian Technocratic Government backed by Trump for Gaza
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that Phase II of the Gaza peace plan has officially begun, and announced that he is backing "a newly appointed Palestinian Technocratic Government" in Gaza.
"As Chairman of the Board of Peace, I am backing a newly appointed Palestinian Technocratic Government, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, supported by the Board's High Representative, to govern Gaza during its transition," Trump said in a Truth Social post.
He went on to discuss the nations that will be involved in the second phase of the peace plan, "With support of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, we will secure a comprehensive demilitarization agreement with Hamas."
Fraidy Moser contributed to this report.