Gazans suffer from delayed reconstruction after Gaza war in May

In April, tensions escalated in East Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and then spread to the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip in May after an Israeli court's verdict to evict Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in the city, reported by Xinhua.

On May 10, Israel waged a large-scale air offensive on the Gaza Strip after militants led by Hamas, ruler of Gaza, fired a barrage of rockets toward Israel.

The exchange of fire lasted 11 days until Egypt brokered a cease-fire between the two sides. More than 250 Palestinians were killed in the fighting, with widespread destruction of buildings and infrastructure in Gaza.

"The wave of tension between the Palestinian factions and Israel ended more than two months ago, but we are still displaced and living in rented apartments," Skaik told Xinhua as he stood on the edge of the ruins of his apartment building where he had lived for years.

The reconstruction process in Gaza is unclear, Skaik said, adding the owners of the destroyed houses are "concerned because neither the government nor international aid agencies have a clear vision about reconstruction."

The 35-year-old man complained of the current difficult economic conditions for his seven-member family that have lost all their belongings and furniture, expressing hope that the reconstruction could commence soon.

"I know many landowners whose houses were destroyed in previous wars with Israel, and they are still homeless," Skaik said worriedly.

According to official Israeli statistics, Israel launched more than 1,800 air, sea and land attacks on the Gaza Strip during the May offensive, targeting homes, residential buildings, government headquarters, and infrastructure.

The Israeli attacks on the Palestinian coastal enclave led to the displacement of more than 107,000 people, 44,000 of them now in shelters and the rest living with their relatives.

Um Mohammed, a woman from the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, saw her house severely damaged during the Israeli air raids in May.

"My tin-roofed house became uninhabitable after the Israeli raids that targeted the area and destroyed a large part of my home," the 39-year-old mother of four told Xinhua.

"We are living in a difficult psychological state. The days are passing with no apparent hope to rebuild the house soon," she said.

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing Naji Sarhan told reporters in Gaza that the ministry has removed 80 percent of the rubble of the houses destroyed in May.

"With the help of Egyptian technical and engineering teams, the ministry will finish removing the rubble by the beginning of next month," said Sarhan.

According to the Palestinian official, 1,400 houses were completely destroyed in Gaza, while 1,500 partially destroyed and have become uninhabitable and 1,550 moderately damaged.

Earlier this month, the World Bank said in a report that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in May caused up to 380 million U.S. dollars in physical damage and 190 million dollars in economic losses in Palestinian territories.

The report, which was made in conjunction with the European Union and the United Nations, noted that the recovery needs have been estimated at up to 485 million dollars during the first 24 months.