Jarring Photos Show Utter Devastation In Gaza Amid Faltering Peace Talks

Pamela Engel,Michael B KelleyAug 18, 2014, 18:29 IST

The conflict in Gaza has left $6 billion worth of damage in its wake, and rebuilding will be a daunting task.

One photo from AFP really illustrates the extent of the destruction:

Israel launched an offensive on July 8 after a surge in Hamas rocket fire across the border. The UN said 425,000 people in the Gaza Strip have been displaced while thousands of buildings have been leveled by Israeli airstrikes.

As many as 400,000 people have lost their homes in the war, and officials estimate that 100,000 housing units will need to be rebuilt. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 2,016 Gazans have died, while 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians in Israel have been killed.

Jodi Rudoren of the New York Times reports that more than 235,000 people were still crammed into 81 of the United Nations' 156 schools as of Sunday, and classes are supposed to start in a week. "The chances of that are zero," Scott Anderson, deputy director of the agency that runs the UN schools, told the Times.

There's so far no long term deal in sight for the war as a five-day cease-fire ends on Monday evening amid faltering truce talks.

h/t Jon Williams of ABC

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Jarring Photos Show Utter Devastation In Gaza Amid Faltering Peace Talks