Gaza: 28 trucks deliver cement in second post-war delivery

Twenty-eight cement trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday in the second delivery of building material for the private sector since the 50-day war.

Raed Fatuh, the Palestinian Authority (PA) official responsible for the entry of cargo into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing in Israel, confirmed that 28 trucks carrying 40 tons of cement each crossed into Gaza. The delivery is the second such delivery for the private sector, the first since October 14^th, when 75 trucks – 50 trucks carrying gravel, 10 carrying metal and 15 carrying cement – entered the Palestinian enclave with 1,300 tons of material.

“This is the biggest delivery of cement since the war ended. But it is not enough, it is only a tiny amount for the reconstruction”, Fatuh said.

He added that there had been no deliveries since October as Israel stopped the process over concerns on how the material would be used.

UN special envoy Robert Serry last week said that the delivery of building materials will resume once again, giving 25,000 home-owners access to construction material to repair their damaged houses.

“In the coming weeks, all individuals in Gaza in need of building materials will be enabled to access the mechanism if they wish to do so”, Serry had said last Friday.

However, Fatuh said that it isn’t clear if the delivery is a one-off or would be followed by several more. He added that he did not have a clue if Israel will allow entry of material beside cement.

“We don’t know if the Israelis will permit it again tomorrow or whether they will allow in only one or two trucks”, he said.

According to Palestinian officials, at least a hundred trucks of building materials sent every day for three years will be needed to completely reconstruct the Gaza Strip.