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13-10-2025
GAZA STRIP: Rebuilding Gaza from the ground up is a task of almost unimaginable scale, but for Palestinians determined to return to their lives, there is no time to waste.
Bulldozers are already out clearing the rubble to make way for returnees to reach what is left of their homes.
Ali al-Attar, a bulldozer operator, said the level of destruction he is seeing in Gaza is “truly beyond comprehension”.
“Just opening the roads alone will take at least a month, just so people can access the area,” he said. “The bulldozers are in poor condition. The one I’m using is leaking oil and needs major repairs. To be honest, we need 20 times the number of bulldozers we have got.”
Authorities in Gaza say the latest aerial imagery from the United Nations shows that some 41,000 housing units have been destroyed in Gaza City alone.
This translates into more than 8 million cubic metres (283 million cubic feet) of rubble.
A recap of recent developments
Tens of thousands of Palestinians are continuing to head back to their homes in northern Gaza, but most have found only rubble and decimated neighborhoods as a result of Israel’s intense bombardment.
The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza says at least 150 bodies have been retrieved across the territory since Friday morning as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues to hold.
Israel says it has begun transferring Palestinian prisoners to two jails before their release as part of the ceasefire deal, which will also see the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Crowds in Israel have booed after US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the ceasefire deal.
Egypt says US President Trump will co-chair a Gaza summit on Monday in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheikh, with UN chief Antonio Guterres and the leaders of more than 20 countries expected to attend.
UK’s Starmer to attend summit in Egypt
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to Egypt to attend the Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit where leaders are expected to sign the peace plan for Gaza.
The UK leader would pay tribute to the role of Trump and the diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye in brokering the deal, his office said.
He is expected to call for continued international coordination to implement the next phase, which includes deploying a ceasefire monitoring mission and establishing transitional governance in Gaza.
Starmer will reiterate the UK’s “steadfast support” to help secure the ceasefire and deliver humanitarian aid, his office added.
As we’ve been reporting, Trump will co-chair the summit with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Leaders from more than 20 countries are also expected to attend.
Bulldozers begin clearing the rubble in Gaza City after two years of war, as tens of thousands of forcibly displaced Palestinians return to devastated towns and cities in northern Gaza. Preparations are under way for a Gaza ceasefire summit in Egypt’s city of Sharm el-Sheikh, with US President Donald Trump expected to attend.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 67,682 people and wounded 170,033 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks, and about 200 were taken captive. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
