Trucks loaded with mobile homes provided by UAE association arrive to deliver them in Gaza, September 16, 2014 (Photo: Reuters)
Twenty-eight trucks of cement entered the battered Gaza Strip Tuesday in only the second delivery of building materials for the private sector since a 50-day Israeli offensive on Gaza during the summer, officials said.
Raed Fatuh, the Palestinian Authority official in charge of the entry of goods into Gaza from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing, confirmed 28 trucks, each carrying 40 tonnes of cement, had crossed into the enclave.
It was the first delivery of building materials for the private sector since October 14, when 75 trucks entered Gaza, carrying 1,300 tonnes of material -- 15 trucks of cement, 10 of metal and 50 of gravel.
"This is the biggest delivery of cement since the war ended," Fatuh told AFP, referring to the seven-week Israeli attack on Hamas fighters which ended with a truce on August 26.
"But it is not enough, it is only a tiny amount for the reconstruction."
He said there had been no further deliveries since October because Israel had halted the process over concerns about how the materials had been used.
Last week, UN special envoy Robert Serry said the delivery of building materials would resume, giving 25,000 home owners access to materials to repair their homes, which were damaged by several weeks of Israeli air strikes.
"In the coming weeks, all individuals in Gaza in need of building materials will be enabled to access the mechanism if they wish to do so," Serry said in a statement on November 21.
But Fatuh said it was not clear whether Tuesday's delivery was a one-off or would be followed by others. He said he had no idea when Israel would allow the entry of materials other than cement.
"We don't know if the Israelis will permit it again tomorrow or whether they will allow in only one or two trucks," he said.
Palestinian officials say at least 100 trucks of building materials a day are needed to complete the reconstruction of Gaza within three years.
Earlier this month, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme argued that "disproportioned attacks" on houses show that Israel's military tactics are "deeply flawed" and violate principles of international humanitarian law. Believing that "excessive loss of lives" could have been avoided, Amnesty accused Israel of not giving prior warning ahead of attacking homes in the coastal enclave.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees is compiling a technical assessment of how many refugee homes were damaged or destroyed in the war which should be completed within a fortnight.
Refugees make up more than 70 percent of Gaza's 1.8 million population.
Interim figures indicate that nearly 89,000 refugee homes were damaged by the Israeli attack, of which 15,000 were either completely destroyed or so badly damaged as to be uninhabitable.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
Short link: