ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-10-07 · by Middle East correspondent Caitlin Kelly; ABC staff
Dunya Al-Ghazaleh stands outside her destroyed childhood home in northern Gaza, reflecting on the night of October 13, 2023, when an Israeli air strike killed six family members, including her brother. Three years later, much of Gaza remains devastated, with estimates suggesting a $71.4 billion recovery plan over ten years is needed. The proposed reconstruction is contingent upon Hamas disarming and Israel withdrawing from Gaza, conditions that have not yet been met. Meanwhile, Gaza's Civil Defence teams struggle to recover bodies from rubble using limited resources, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Dunya Al-Ghazaleh stands in front of her childhood home in northern Gaza almost three years after it was destroyed.
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it → stand → Gaza
On the night of October 13, 2023, an Israeli air strike hit the building where her family was sleeping.
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family → hit → building
Dunya was not home at the time, but when she heard the news, she called her mother repeatedly and could not get through.
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she → hear → mother
"When I came, the destruction was massive.
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destruction → come → ?
I saw the building flat on the ground," she says, recalling the horror of that day.
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she → see → day
Her parents were pulled from the rubble, but six family members were left behind, including her beloved brother.
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members → pull → brother
A bulldozer and an excavator came, she says, but left when the excavator broke down.
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excavator → come → ?
It became a cemetery," she says through her sobs.
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she → become → sobs
"It became like this … destruction, destruction."
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It → become → this
Three years after the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, much of Gaza lies in ruins.
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much → lead → ruins
Last month, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the Board of Peace proposed a $US2.45 billion ($3.53 billion) first phase of reconstruction.
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Board → propose → reconstruction
Estimates suggest the total recovery plan could cost $US71.4 billion over a decade.
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plan → suggest → decade
The board and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say reconstruction depends on Hamas disarming.
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Hamas → say → ?
Hamas has agreed to a disarmament framework, but has tied it to an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, which has not happened.
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which → agree → Gaza
As Gaza's future is drawn up on paper, the reality on the ground feels far away.
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reality → draw → ground
Sifting through rubble
In the Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza's Civil Defence is attempting work it has been unable to do for years.
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it → sift → years
On one October morning, teams recovered nine bodies from a building that was struck two years ago, using a single excavator.
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that → recover → excavator
Nine others still remain.
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others → remain → ?
Dozens of workers sift through twisted iron rods and rubble, some with their bare hands, as human remains emerge.
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remains → sift → hands
Workers hold up items splattered with blood, others handle skulls and put bones into body bags.
"If there were loaders and heavy machinery during the strikes, we might have been able to rescue many people," says Hassan Jaber of the Gazan Civil Defence.
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Jaber → hold → Defence
"We talk to people who are under the rubble, but we cannot reach them."
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we → talk → them
On October 1, Palestinians held a mass funeral for 105 victims killed in a series of Israeli air strikes in Gaza City's al-Taj, which occurred three years prior.
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which → hold → Taj
The bodies were recovered a few days before the funeral.
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bodies → recover → funeral
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the search and recovery of the dead requires specialised equipment not readily available in Gaza.
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search → accord → Gaza
Since the ceasefire came into effect on October 10, 2025, at least 1,400 Palestinians have been killed, local health authorities say, as Israeli strikes continue almost on a daily basis.
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strikes → come → basis
In August, UN agencies estimated destruction in Gaza had climbed by nearly 10 per cent since the ceasefire was brokered between Hamas and Israeli forces.
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ceasefire → estimate → Hamas
Israel does not allow international media into Gaza to independently gather and verify information.
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media → allow → information
The Israeli government has argued that for the safety of journalists, it is "keeping them out".
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it → argue → them
Wounded while working in the early days of the war, Hassan says the work remains dangerous because of the continued strikes.
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work → wound → strikes
Hassan says a lack of heavy machinery is also making the work almost impossible.
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work → say → machinery
"This excavator needs ongoing maintenance.
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excavator → need → maintenance
In one hour, it might be out of order," he says.
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he → say → order
The scale of destruction in Gaza
Satellite images show the scale of the destruction, with homes, schools, businesses and places of worship disappearing from view.
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homes → show → view
The UN estimates about 82 per cent of structures in Gaza have been damaged.
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cent → estimate → Gaza
Nearly two-thirds of the population now lives in tents or makeshift shelters.
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thirds → live → tents
The United Nations Development Programme's special representative, Jaco Cilliers, says about 1 million tonnes of rubble have been cleared and 300,000 kilograms recycled, used to pave roads and raise tents.
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kilograms → say → tents
But there are only five crushing machines, he says, rehabilitated from dump sites after decades of use.
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he → be → use
"They are breaking every day.
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They → break → ?
They've already been used [a] hundred times more than they should have been," he says.
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he → use → ?
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Much of the effort is hampered by rules governing what can enter Gaza.
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what → use → Gaza
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
