May 27, 2009

Gaza / PNN – Reconstructing homes after the late December and January destruction remains a dream for many Palestinians.

During the major Israeli attacks Amer Olayyah’s house was destroyed by the Israeli military. He has a document to help from the Palestinian Ministry of Housing, but under siege and without back-up, this remains a fragile promise.

The document is a dead letter, says Olyyah and hundreds of home owners, due to the blockade imposed by the Israeli government which prevents the import of construction materials into the Gaza Strip.
The Israelis claim that these materials, which include paper and school books, could be used for the manufacture of explosives and weapons.

Thirty-six year old Amer Olayyah lives with his wife and five children in the "tent-camp" in the northern Gaza Strip. Thousands of Gazans fled to Beit Lahia after the major destruction, but no one expected it to be forever. "We are awaiting reconstruction," said Olayyah Wednesday, "but I know it will take time."

This destroyed house out of hundreds was three-stories where 40 members of the same family lived. Israeli forces blew it apart on 11 January.

Since then Amer, who has been working in laundry to make due but is now out of work, has a Palestinian Ministry of Housing document, which is supposed to allow him to take advantage of the program of reconstruction. This document recognizes the people with destroyed property during the recent major Israeli attack.

But the lack of building materials, including cement, wood and glass which began with the siege three years ago exacerbates the problem.

The main source of raw materials is through the tunnels which the Israelis claim are used for "smuggling weapons." These are the tunnels between northern Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip that bring in food and necessities.

Among the "smugglers" is Salim Al Hajj who told the press, "We move cement, wood and paint." On the other hand, the "iron bars can be too long to get through." He stressed that due to the poor quality of the cement it cannot be used for the manufacture of concrete.