Factories were destroyed and agriculture collapsed… This is how the war shattered Gaza’s economy

The war on Gaza has inflicted heavy losses across various economic sectors, leading to a sharp decline in economic activity. Thousands of industrial facilities have been forced to shut down, and infrastructure and markets have been damaged. Palestinian and UN figures reveal the extent of the damage to production, employment, income, and family livelihoods.

According to an Al Jazeera report, before the war, there were approximately 4,500 industrial facilities operating in various sectors in Gaza, employing more than 53,000 workers. However, nearly 90% of these facilities were damaged, resulting in thousands of workers losing their livelihoods.

With this significant portion of the industrial base out of operation, industrial and agricultural production plummeted by approximately 94% compared to 2022, while construction activity declined by about 96%, directly reflecting the damage to productive capital and the inability to restart it.

The losses were not limited to the facilities that were destroyed or damaged. The war’s impact extended to the production and labor cycle, supply chains, and the movement of goods, disrupting broad economic sectors and diminishing their capacity to continue operating.

Estimates from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reveal the extent of the damage, with 92% of economic establishments in Gaza suffering damage or destruction, while direct losses in the trade and industry sectors exceeded $6 billion.

The destruction extended to infrastructure, roads, and markets, disrupting supply chains, restricting the movement of goods, and increasing the cost of accessing markets, while the remaining establishments face significant difficulties in resuming their operations.