Israel’s halt of the entry of cement into Gaza has stopped reconstruction work, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed on Friday, according to Quds Press.
In a report, OCHA said: “The rebuilding of the houses destroyed during the latest Israeli offensive on Gaza stopped due to the Israeli authorities’ ban on cement entry for about two months.”
In April, the Israeli authorities stopped cement entry to Gaza claiming it was being used by Hamas to build military defences.
Drone footage reveals Gaza destruction – BBC News – YouTube https://t.co/1TWMaA6QCP
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According to the OCHA report, aid groups in Gaza were also obliged to “suspend” their contributions to repairing the houses of over 1,370 families due to the shortage of cement or “high price hike”.
It also said that payments scheduled for 1,550 families to help them start the reconstruction of their homes stopped due to the severe shortage of cement.
The report said that 75,000 Palestinians in Gaza are still homeless after their houses were destroyed during the last Israeli offensive.
More than 75 thousand people in Gaza are considered displaced after the destruction of their homes. pic.twitter.com/E7HWY4d1ri
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The summer Israeli offensive on Gaza completely destroyed 12,000 homes and partially destroyed 160,000 others.
The severe shortage of cement due to Israeli restrictions has also caused around 40,000 workers in the construction sector to lose their jobs.
(MEMO)
