Israel in its latest offensive destroyed the infrastructure of the besieged enclave but the reconstruction process has been on hold said Gaza Palestinians.
Ahmad Alzaem has avoided passing by the leveled Al-Jawhara Tower in Gaza City.
Alzaem, one of the tower’s owners lived at Al-Jawhar until it was bombed by Israeli troops in the latest 11-day offensive on Gaza last month.
The bases of the building were totally destroyed as it was bombed with more than five missiles. Alzaem in an interview with a news channel said, “I lived there with my family of six. My store was also in the same building. After the bombing, I lost everything,” said the father of four.
Unemployed Alzaem now lives in a rented apartment with his family. He said in the interview that his life had completely changed and that his family had lost their sole income. He mentioned that almost 1,000 people who worked in the building were left jobless.
Earlier truckloads of construction materials were seen in the ravaged Gaza strip after hundreds of Palestinians protested along the border fence for ending the Gaza siege and allowing the reconstruction of the enclave.
Alzaem has ‘lost hope’. He said, “No reconstruction plans or compensation have been offered until now. We’ve heard many statements about aid or reconstruction, but nothing’s happened,”
In the mentioned siege more than 4,000 Gaza homes were destroyed or damaged. Some 74 public buildings, including local municipalities, were also destroyed, with losses estimated by the World Bank at up to $380m.
