Metro
Gaza Faces ‘Utter Ruin’ as War Cripples Economy — UN Warns
The United Nations has raised the alarm over the devastating impact of Israel’s war in Gaza, warning that the battered Palestinian territory’s economy is on the brink of total collapse and may struggle to survive without urgent global intervention.
In its latest report released on Tuesday, the UN Trade and Development Agency (UNCTAD) said rebuilding the war-torn enclave would cost more than $70bn, adding that the scale of destruction could take several decades to reverse.
UNCTAD described the situation as an “unprecedented collapse across the Palestinian economy”, stressing that the war and long-standing restrictions had shattered all essential systems supporting life in the Gaza Strip.
“The military operations have significantly undermined every pillar of survival — from food to shelter to healthcare — and plunged Gaza into a human-made abyss,” the report stated. It added that the widespread, systematic devastation had cast “significant doubt” on Gaza’s ability to re-emerge as a liveable society.
The current crisis was triggered after Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel in October 2023, killing 1,221 people. The assault sparked a two-year Israeli military response that has since devastated Gaza.
According to casualty figures from the Gaza health ministry — numbers the UN says are credible — more than 69,000 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory operations.
UNCTAD said the extensive destruction has unleashed “cascading crises — economic, humanitarian, environmental and social — propelling the territory from de-development to utter ruin”. Even under an optimistic scenario of double-digit growth backed by massive foreign aid, it warned that Gaza would need several decades to return to pre-October 2023 living standards.
To avert further collapse, the agency called for a “comprehensive recovery plan” involving coordinated international support, restoration of fiscal transfers, and easing of severe restrictions on movement, trade and investment.
Highlighting the depth of the crisis, the report noted that every resident of Gaza now faces “extreme, multidimensional impoverishment”. It recommended the introduction of a universal emergency basic income — a renewable, unconditional monthly cash transfer for all civilians in the territory.
Gaza’s economy, the report revealed, contracted by a staggering 87 per cent between 2023 and 2024, leaving its GDP per capita at just $161 — one of the lowest in the world.
Although conditions are less severe in the West Bank, UNCTAD said “violence, accelerated settlement expansion and restrictions on worker mobility” had also crippled economic activity there, resulting in the worst decline since it began keeping records in 1972.
It was a night of sorrow and devastation in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, as a horrific multiple-vehicle crash along the Ibadan axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway claimed at least five lives and left eight others injured in a fiery chain collision involving trucks, tankers, and smaller vehicles.
The accident occurred at about 10:00 p.m. on Friday around the Satguru Maharaji Ji Village axis, just before the Ibadan Toll Gate, throwing the busy highway into chaos as flames and thick smoke engulfed the scene.
The crash involved six trucks, including gas tankers and trailer units, two Toyota Hilux vans, and two cars, according to emergency officials who described it as one of the most severe road accidents in recent times on the corridor.
Eyewitnesses said the tragedy began when one of the trucks reportedly suffered brake failure and rammed into another vehicle ahead of it, triggering a chain reaction that quickly escalated into a multi-vehicle inferno.
In moments, several vehicles were trapped in the blaze, while terrified motorists and bystanders watched helplessly as the fire spread across the expressway.
Eight persons were rescued alive with varying degrees of injuries and were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals for urgent medical attention.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, said the crash was caused by brake failure which spiralled into a massive fire outbreak.
“Upon arrival, we discovered that the accident involved six trucks (gas tankers and trailer trucks) and two cars, resulting in a fire outbreak,” he said.
“Five persons were recovered dead, while eight others were rescued and handed over to the team of the Federal Road Safety Corps led by SRC Adegbite from Toll Gate, Ibadan, for further medical attention at the nearest hospital.”
Firefighters eventually brought the inferno under control after hours of operation, while security operatives and traffic officials worked to clear wreckage and restore movement on the busy expressway.
Normalcy has since returned to the road, but the tragedy has left behind a grim reminder of the dangers of mechanical failure and unsafe haulage on Nigeria’s busiest highway.
A deeply disturbing incident has left residents of Daura Local Government Area, Katsina State, in shock after a 20-year-old woman allegedly killed her 97-year-old grandmother during a family dispute.
The Katsina State Police Command confirmed that the tragic incident occurred at about 7:00 p.m. on June 12, 2026, following an argument between the suspect and her paternal grandmother at their residence.
According to preliminary investigations, the disagreement escalated into violence when the young woman allegedly struck the elderly victim on the head with a wooden chair. The blow reportedly left the nonagenarian severely injured and unconscious.
The victim was later discovered in a pool of blood after the suspect’s father reported the incident to the Sabon Garin Daura Police Station. Police operatives immediately rushed to the scene and evacuated her to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention.
Despite efforts by medical personnel, she was confirmed dead by a doctor shortly after arrival.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Katsina State Command, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, said the suspect was arrested in the course of investigation and had reportedly made a confession to the crime.
He added that the suspect remains in custody and will be charged to court upon the completion of investigations, assuring that justice would be served in accordance with the law.
The command also appealed for calm among residents, reiterating its commitment to a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.
No fewer than 20 shops were razed while goods valued at over ₦200 million were destroyed after a midnight fire gutted a shopping complex in the Dugbe area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The inferno, which started around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, affected the Nigerian Postal Service shopping complex located beside the Dugbe General Post Office.
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent on Sunday that the fire was allegedly triggered by an accident involving a Lexus saloon car.
According to residents, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle while travelling from the Queen’s Cinema axis towards Iyaganku.
The vehicle was said to have rammed into a giant billboard situated in front of the Nigerian Railway Corporation station in Ibadan before somersaulting and splitting into two.
Witnesses said the rear part of the vehicle, reportedly carrying a Compressed Natural Gas tank and back tyres, detached and rolled into the shopping complex, where an explosion occurred, igniting the fire.
The blaze razed about 20 shops dealing in stationery, computer accessories and clothing materials, leaving traders counting heavy losses.
Men of the Oyo State Fire Service were, however, able to prevent the fire from spreading to the General Post Office and adjoining buildings.
The occupants of the Lexus reportedly escaped unhurt.
Although some eyewitnesses alleged that the occupants were heading towards the Ring Road area before the crash, authorities had yet to officially confirm details surrounding their identities and movement as of the time of filing this report.
When our correspondent visited the scene around 8 a.m. on Sunday, firefighters and security operatives were still at the complex battling the aftermath of the inferno as smoke billowed from sections of the affected structure.
Shop owners and residents gathered at the scene, lamenting the destruction of goods and property.
One of the affected traders, Kingsley Chioma, said the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Iyaganku Police Station assured victims that efforts were underway to apprehend the driver.
“We lost goods worth millions of naira to the fire. The DPO assured us that the driver responsible for the incident would be arrested,” Chioma said.
As of the time of filing this report, officials of the Oyo State Fire Service and the police had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
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