How do you rebuild the lives of a million children?

Dear Editor,

President-elect Donald Trump has declared that "there will be hell to pay" if hostages in Gaza are not released prior to his taking office on January 20th.

But Gaza has already been largely reduced to dust and rubble.  This includes the destruction of fields, orchards, greenhouses, water infrastructure, hospitals, bakeries, public utilities, roads, schools, universities and religious and government buildings.

Over 45,000 people have been killed, including over 14,500 children.  Another 20,00 children are missing — lost to their families, detained, or buried beneath the rubble or in unmarked mass graves.  And Gaza has the largest number of child amputees in modern history.

The United Nations estimates that clearing the debris in Gaza could take as long as 15 years, and that it could take until at least 2040 to rebuild destroyed homes.

According to architectural history professor Mark Jarzombek, who studied post World War II reconstruction, "No matter what one does, for generations Gaza will be struggling with this.”    

And as economist Daniel Egel asserts, “You can rebuild a building, but how do you rebuild the lives of a million children?”

Note to Donald Trump: Hell has already been rendered.

Terry Hansen

Milwaukee, WI