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90% of homes in Gaza destroyed by Israel ‘have been rebuilt’

February 4, 2019 at 11:33 am

The Palestinian Housing Minister announced on Sunday that 90 per cent of the houses destroyed by Israel during the 2014 military offensive against Gaza have been rebuilt, Safa News Agency has reported. Mofeed Al-Hasayneh also announced the start of construction of 111 housing units funded by the German government at a cost of $23 million.

Al-Hasayneh told a press conference in Gaza that he was directed by the Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to give priority to the rebuilding of homes in the besieged territory.

“We have rebuilt 9,308 housing units at a cost of $347m and repaired 100,000 partially destroyed units for $205m,” explained the minister. “We have repaired 17 multi-storey residential buildings and rebuilt the whole residential neighbourhood of Al-Nada in Beit Lahiya. We are waiting for funds to rebuild the Italian Mall.”

The Palestinian official added that his ministry has carried out new housing projects worth $200m that include residential areas as well as housing repairs for poor families. The latter project is valued at $19m.

Meanwhile, he said that the ministry has spent $48m to pave 93 roads in the southern and northern governorates of Gaza, along with 120 projects to repair government premises at a cost of $103m.

READ: Israel building new overground fence around Gaza Strip