Local Editor“Prolonged delay in the reconstruction of Gaza and also continuing the siege of Gaza enclave are war crimes being committed by Israel against the Palestinian nation,” Esmayeel Rezvan said, addressing a ceremony on the occasion of the National Gaza Siege Day on December 28.
Rezvan called for the immediate halt of the Gaza siege and also start of the reconstruction of the houses that Israel destroyed during the recent 51-day war against the Palestinians.
“All the crimes committed against the Palestinian nation have taken place because this nation has not recognized Israel and it has not accepted to ally with the US,” he added.
He reiterated that the Palestinians will not recognize Israel and Hamas will never give up its resistance and armed struggle against Israel.
In October, Israel allowed the entry of a limited amount of building supplies into the Gaza Strip – after a blockade that lasted seven years – as per an agreement between Israel, the UN and the Palestinian Authority.
The slow pace of reconstruction, however, has invited the ire of several Palestinian factions and civil society organizations.
During Israel’s recent 51-day onslaught, 15,671 housing units were damaged across the coastal enclave, including 2,276 that were totally destroyed, according to official Palestinian figures.
More than 2,160 Gazans, mostly civilians, were killed – and another 11,000 injured – during seven weeks of unrelenting Israeli attacks throughout July and August.
The Israeli offensive finally ended on August 26 with the announcement of an indefinite cease-fire with Palestinian resistance factions.
Following the cease-fire, Robert Serry, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, unveiled plans to impose strict oversight on the use of construction materials in Gaza.
At an October 12 donor conference in Cairo, 50 countries pledged a total of $5.4 billion to the Palestinian government, half of which was earmarked for reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip.
