Five minutes driving across Gaza City showed the destruction in the Jalaa Street area left by the Israeli offensive which was paused by the ceasefire deal reached earlier this month.

The U.N. development agency said the amount of rubble in Gaza would be enough to build 13 giant pyramids in Egypt or fill up all of New York’s Central Park about 40 feet high with debris.

The latest joint estimate from the U.N., the European Union and the World Bank is that $70 billion will be required to rebuild the Strip.

The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and 250 taken hostage.

Most of them, dead and alive, released but still 13 bodies remain in the hands of the militants.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in the Palestinian territory has killed more than 68,500 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry which is part of the Hamas-run government, it maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll.

Production by Wafaa Shurafa