2,000 Palestinian housing units destroyed in war: Gaza official

AP , Ahram Online , Saturday 22 May 2021

Sarhan put the estimated financial losses from the fighting at $150 million

People work amongst apartment buildings damaged by and airstrike that destroyed a Hamas police stati
People work amongst apartment buildings damaged by and airstrike that destroyed a Hamas police station building previous to a cease-fire reached after an 11-day war between Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel, in Gaza City, Saturday, May 22, 2021. AP

A Palestinian official says an initial assessment shows at least 2,000 housing units were destroyed in the fighting between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza.

Naji Sarhan, deputy of Gaza's works and housing ministry, tells The Associated Press on Saturday that more than 15,000 other units were partly destroyed in the 11-day war.

Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes on the overcrowded strip, targeting residential, commercial and government buildings.

It said it was going after locations where Hamas had offices and resources.

Israeli airstrikes and bombings of the strip killed more than 243 Palestinians, including 66 children, and injured hundreds.

Sarhan says four mosques were destroyed along with dozens of police offices in Gaza. He says most of the factories in Gaza's industrial zone were destroyed or damaged.

Meanwhile, police inspected unexploded Israeli ordinance collected during the campaign. Police chief Mahmoud Salah said nearly 300 Israeli rockets and shells did not explode.

Sarhan put the estimated financial losses from the fighting at $150 million. He says assessment is still ongoing.

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