Two Palestinian female engineers made what could be a breakthrough discovery. Majd Almashharawi and Rawan Abdullatif developed a new bricks-mixture, adding coal ashes to it.

According to a report by Aljazeera Arabic, the two engineers have been testing their new discovery for the last year and a half. The drive behind their project was the weakness of bricks used in Gaza to build facilities.

The two engineers named their discovery “Green Cake”, an environmentally-friendly project, which recycles ashes, a material Gaza lacks. The weight of the new brick is half of the current one commonly used in Gaza and its cost is 30% less, which gives the project a great potential for success.

The bricks have been tested, according to the two engineers, and shown encouraging results. “We can’t put our happiness into words. After a year and a half of tests, we have harvested the labor of our efforts,” they said.

They hope to start a production line which allows their business to boom. Local experts have expressed satisfaction with the project and expected it to achieve a great success if needed resources are made available for the two engineers.

A year and a half after the summer offensive of 2014, much of Gaza’s destroyed housing is still waiting to be built. According to the United Nations, 18,000 houses were destroyed or severely damaged and more than 108,000 Palestinians were made homeless.

The lack of progress in the reconstruction of Gaza is due to the restrictions imposed on allowing much needed materials into the area. Two weeks ago, Israel banned construction materials from entering Gaza. However, this ban was lifted following Turkish pressure on the Israeli government.

Palestinians in Gaza, especially those who are still homeless, see great hope in the two engineers’ project, which might bring about an end to their ongoing plight.

(PC, Aljazeera)