Homeless Palestinians suffering from impacts of Israeli war

In different parts of Gaza, including the southern Khuza’a village in Khan Yunis, housing caravans are being set up by aid agencies to house the displaced people.

Many Gazans have been staying at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools and are in urgent need of further assistance.

“The staff of Human Appeal rushed to the market to buy the raw materials needed to build these caravans, which will give them better accommodations than the schools,” housing project supervisor Abdullah Eliwa said.

Some aid workers say the caravans are only a temporary solution to the crisis.

“These caravans are neither suitable nor compatible to the needs and numbers of these families. They need more than a caravan. They need their houses to be rebuilt again. This is the most convenient solution which will compensate them,” human rights specialist Yousif Safi said.

Palestinian experts have also said in a recent report that the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip would cost six billion euros (7.7 billion dollars).

According to a report released last month by Shelter Cluster, an international organization engaged in the assessment of post-war reconstruction, about 17,000 housing units were destroyed by the Israeli war. The group also said it would take 20 years to rebuild Gaza.

The 50-day war killed over 2,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and injured around 11,000.

HK