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UNOPS chief: Gaza is “rubble and tents”; immediate fuel, demining and power repairs needed
Summary
Georges Mariera da Silva, head of UNOPS, says Gaza’s immediate recovery requires rubble removal, demining, steady fuel supplies and rapid repairs to the power plant; UNOPS estimates $10 million could restore significant electricity in the near term and stresses political and access barriers must be lifted.
Georges Mariera da Silva, Under‑Secretary‑General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), said in a New York interview that Gaza is now “rubble and tents” and spelled out immediate steps he says are needed to prevent further death and suffering.
"What I saw in Gaza is not really tents. I saw some tents, but most of the things where people stay overnight are not really tents," Mariera da Silva said, describing makeshift shelters and children without shoes or education. He listed urgent priorities: removal of about 60,000,000 tons of rubble, systematic demining and safe disposal of unexploded ordnance, hazardous‑waste management (including asbestos and human remains), stable fuel deliveries, and repairs to power and water infrastructure.
Why it matters: rubble and unexploded ordnance prevent people from returning safely, hamper health services and water treatment, and expose children and responders to immediate life‑threatening risks. Mariera da Silva said UNOPS is already delivering fuel daily inside Gaza — "it helps bakeries, hospitals, the desalination, the sewage" — but stressed unpredictability in supply undermines basic services.
Concrete timelines and costs: with UNOPS engineers on site, Mariera da Silva said the Gaza power plant could be partially repaired in three months (about 40 megawatts), further repaired over six months (about 100 megawatts), and restored to full capacity in roughly 10 months. He estimated that about US$10,000,000 would enable immediate electricity access improvements for people in Gaza.
Obstacles and political conditions: Mariera da Silva said the main barriers are political will and restrictions on so‑called dual‑use goods. "We can't repair the power plant if the spare parts are forbidden," he said, and warned that heavy machinery, solar panels and batteries are often blocked. He called on relevant authorities to permit the necessary equipment and spare parts for safe early recovery.
UNOPS role and capacity: UNOPS is the agency Mariera da Silva leads; he described the office as the agency that can operate in highly fragile contexts to "de‑risk" implementation, including arranging procurement, delivering fuel and managing technically complex tasks such as rubble removal and demining operations.
Staff safety and humanitarian urgency: Mariera da Silva emphasized staff risks and losses while operating in dangerous settings, and said those losses underline why member states should fund UN operations. He framed early recovery as both a moral and a practical priority: "We can't wait to do reconstruction to bring what the people need immediately," he said.
What comes next: Mariera da Silva said UNOPS is urging member states to engage quickly on modest, practical steps that can be funded and implemented now. He framed early recovery — clearing rubble, demining and restoring power and fuel — as achievable if political obstacles are cleared and donors provide targeted support.
