The reconstruction of homes in the Gaza Strip destroyed or damaged during Operation Guardian of the Walls in May will begin in the first week of October using aid from Qatar, a senior Gazan housing official said on Sunday.
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Gaza's Hamas-run government says that during the 11-day operation against Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, some 2,000 homes were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes and another 37,000 sustained damage.
The 4,400 rockets launched by Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist groups caused massive damage to numerous Israeli homes, and also killed 11 Israeli civilians – including a 16-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy, and one IDF soldier. Two more civilians were killed while running for shelter. Some 680 of the rockets landed inside Gaza, causing damage and casualties.
Gaza's deputy minister for housing and public works, Naji Sarhan, said that the first phase of the reconstruction would rebuild some 1,800 of the damaged Gazan homes.
Sarhan said Israel had lifted some restrictions on steel and cement entering the territory in recent days. Last week, Egypt began repairing Gaza's main coastal road, part of a broader plan to revamp Gaza infrastructure.
Following the May 21 ceasefire, mediated by Egypt, access to reconstruction funds and materials has been a key Hamas demand. Following an agreement with the United Nations and Qatar, Israel allowed about $20 million in aid from the Gulf state to enter Gaza this month. That disbursement will be followed by $50 million of Qatari funds earmarked for rebuilding homes, Sarhan said.
Gaza officials estimate it will take $479 million to rebuild homes and infrastructure. Qatar and Egypt have each pledged $500 million for Gaza reconstruction.
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