ISRAEL ALLOWS WHITE CEMENT INTO GAZA STRIP

Gaza, 21 Jumadil Awwal 1436/12 March 2015 (MINA) –  The Israeli authorities have decided to allow white Portland cement into the Gaza Strip for the first time in several years, a Gaza-based PA official said.

Israeli authorities consider white Portland cement a “dual-use item,” meaning that although it is intended for civilian use, it can also be used in military situations. The import of these items into Gaza is subject to heavy regulation.

PA Director of Border Crossings in the Gaza Strip, Nathmi Muhanna, told Ma’an that the Israeli liaison department had notified his office that the cement would now be allowed into the coastal enclave, Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Ageny (MINA) as reporting.

Muhanna called on Gaza merchants to visit the Gaza-based PA presidential committee in charge of coordinating entry of goods into Gaza.

More than six months after the 50-day conflict between Hamas and Israel last summer, large parts of Gaza remain in ruin.

Over 100,000 homes were destroyed or damaged during the conflict, in addition to thousands of other structures, including 24 schools.

However, reconstruction has been slow due to a restriction on imports by the Israeli authorities, with cement particularly scarce. The Gaza Strip has been under military blockade since 2007.

The Shelter Cluster, an international group co-chaired by the UN refugee agency and the Red Cross, estimates that an average of 440 trucks of building materials would be required to enter Gaza each day to complete the reconstruction process within five years.

According to an Oxfam report, at the current rate it would take up to 100 years to rebuild homes, schools and other damaged infrastructure.  (T/P010/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)