Rebuilding Gaza could take 100 years if Israel keeps blockade, says Oxfam

Rebuilding the Gaza Strip after last summer's war with Israel will take at least a century at the current rate of progress, Oxfam warned on Thursday.

Israel restricts the flow of steel and concrete into the Palestinian territory because Hamas, the radical Islamist movement, has diverted material of this kind to build tunnels and bunkers.

Only 1,677 lorries carrying construction material were allowed to enter Gaza between November and January. The territory needs about 800,000 lorry-loads to repair the physical damage inflicted during the 50-day war between Hamas and Israel last year. At the current rate, this would take about 119 years.

Oxfam urged Israel to allow the unrestricted inflow of building material.

"Only an end to the blockade of Gaza will ensure that people can rebuild their lives. Families have been living in homes without roofs, walls or windows for the past six months,” said Catherine Essoyan, Oxfam's Regional Director. “Many have just six hours of electricity a day and are without running water.”

The last war in Gaza was longer and bloodier than any previous clash between Israel and Hamas. In total, 16,000 homes across the territory were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. The bloodshed claimed the lives of 2,200 Palestinians and 73 Israelis.

In response to Hamas rocket attacks on its territory, Israel sent troops and tanks deep into Gaza. Densely populated areas were engulfed by fighting, notably the suburb of Shejaiya on the eastern edge of Gaza City.

Today, large areas of Shejaiya still lie in ruins. The international community promised $5.4 billion (£3.5 billion) to rebuild Gaza, but only about 5 per cent of this sum has actually been delivered.

^{Smoke rises after an Israeli missile hits Shejaiya in Gaza City in 2014}

However, Oxfam’s initial statement did not make any explicit demands on Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007 and used the territory as a base for launching rockets at Israel.

In response to questions, an Oxfam spokesman said: “We would certainly call on Hamas and all parties to make sure that any materials that are allowed through are used for construction and not for tunnels.”

^{Palestinian women survey the remains of a building destroyed by Israeli rockets (AFP)}