Gaza's Hamas government will launch in the next 48 hours a national project for rebuilding the territory, its prime minister said on Sunday.

The project includes rebuilding hundreds of houses that was destroyed during the 22 day Israeli war against Gaza. 1,400 Palestinians, more than half of them civilians, were killed before the war ended on January 18, 2009.

“We will place the corner stone of the project in 48 hours to rebuild every home that was destroyed during the brutal war on Gaza,” said Prime Minister Ismail Haniya in the opening of the annual International Convention of Rebuilding Gaza.  

He added that the project will be funded by local resources through labour and professional unions.

Haniya stated the project's two goals: to provide safe shelter to the families that lost their homes in the war and to create jobs.

“We have the money to do this job, we are about to enter a rebuilding era,” Haniya said.

Haniya also called on all engineers, construction contractors and labourers to contact the local authority and offer their services for the project.