Over 15,500 housing units were damaged during the recent Israeli war on Gaza. (File photo)[/caption]The reconstruction of the besieged Gaza Strip, which was massively demolished in a recent 50-day Israeli war, will take at least 20 years, a monitoring group says.
Given the pace at which construction materials are currently entering Gaza, it will be at least 20 years to rebuild the coastal enclave, Alaa Radwan, head of the Popular Committee for Monitoring the Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, said on Saturday.
Based on a UN-proposed plan, some 40 truckloads of cement, iron and gravel have been approved to be sent to Gaza. The coastal territory, however, is estimated to need about 6,000 tons of cement a day.
International donors have pledged USD 5.4 billion for the rebuilding of Gaza. Palestinian experts, however, have said in a recent report that the reconstruction of Gaza would cost around USD 7.7 billion.
Gaza, the scene of three destructive wars since 2008, has long faced Israeli blockade, including restrictions on the import of building materials such as concrete.
Israel started its latest war on Gaza in early July. Over 2,100 people died and some 11,000 others were injured in the Israeli war, which ended on August 26 with a truce that took effect after indirect negotiations in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
More than 15,500 housing units were also damaged in the attacks while over 2,200 houses were totally destroyed, according to official figures released by Palestinian sources.
In early November, Robert Turner, the director of operations for the UN Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, said the extent of war damage was worse than first thought.
With the cold days of winter approaching, more than 100,000 people are still homeless across Gaza.
By Press TV
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