 An international organisation involved in assessing post-conflict reconstruction says it will take 20 years for Gaza's battered and neglected housing stock to be rebuilt following the war between Hamas and Israel.
| The bunkers and tunnels, of course, will be rebuilt first... |
| Since they can't seem to go longer than four years without picking a fight with Israel, I'd say it's going to take them longer than that. |
The assessment by Shelter Cluster, co-chaired by the UN refugee agency and the Red Thingy Cross, underscores the complexities involved in an overall reconstruction programme for the Gaza Strip, which some Palestinian officials have estimated could cost in excess of $6 billion.
Any effort to rebuild Gaza will be hindered by a blockade imposed by Egypt and Israel since Hamas seized power in 2007. Israel has severely restricted the import of concrete and other building materials into Gaza, correctly understanding fearing that militants will use them to build rockets and reinforce cross-border attack tunnels.
Egypt and Norway have raised the possibility of convening a Gaza donors' conference at some point next month, but no firm arrangements have been made.
| Iran is already willing to fund the reconstruction of the Hamas war machine. What more need be done at a "donors conference" other than the vapid, empty promises that are never quite fulfilled? |
With a population of 1.8 million, Gaza is a densely populated coastal strip of urban warrens and agricultural land that still bears the scars of previous rounds of fighting.
| Move the civilians to Mauritania and let the hard boyz and IDF go at it... |
In its report issued late on Friday, Shelter Cluster said 17,000 Gaza housing units were destroyed or severely damaged during this summer's war and 5,000 units still need work after damage sustained in the previous military campaigns. In addition, it says, Gaza has a housing deficit of 75,000 units.
Shelter Cluster said its 20-year assessment is based on the capacity of the main Israel-Gaza cargo crossing to handle 100 trucks of construction materials daily. |