Palestinian housing minister Mufid al-Hasayneh laid a brick today for the first Gaza home to be rebuilt since the Israel-Hamas war a year ago, as frustration mounts over the slow pace of reconstruction.
The 50-day war in July-August 2014 killed 2,200 Palestinians, 73 on the Israeli side, and destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of homes in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Until now the only repairs have been to homes which were partially damaged, while 18,000 totally destroyed houses remain in ruins.
Hasayneh laid the brick at the Harara family’s home in Shejaiya, an area east of Gaza City.
“The march towards real reconstruction of the Gaza Strip has begun, and nothing will stop it,” Hasayneh says.
“We will see a lot of movement on the reconstruction front in the coming days. We will rebuild all homes destroyed by Israel,” he said, thanking several Arab countries, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, for their donations towards Gaza’s reconstruction.
— AFP
A Palestinian man rides his horse through the rubble of buildings, reportedly destroyed during the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas in the summer of 2014, in Gaza City on July 21, 2015. (Mohammed Abed/AFP)
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Wednesday, July 22, 2015
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