Reconstruction of Gaza Strip needs $3 bn: Official

Gaza: The reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip has kicked off and it needs $3 billion to be completed, a senior Palestinian government official said.

"We need $1 billion to rebuild the damage left during the latest wave of tension in May and the previous Israeli wars waged on the Gaza Strip," Xinhua news agency quoted Naji Sarhan, undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing as saying.

"We need another $2 billion to revive Gaza and bring it back to life," he added.

Several countries have provided grants to start the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip, including Qatar and Egypt.

The two countries announced that they contributed $500 million, respectively.

Meanwhile, Sarhan added that Qatar and Egypt presented a vision related to distributing their grants to various sectors in Gaza, including housing, infrastructure, health, education, economy, and agriculture.

Since May 7, Israeli forces in the West Bank and Jerusalem have been engaged in clashes with civilians who were protesting forced displacement, particularly from Sheikh Jarrah eastern Jerusalem, and assaults on worshippers in Al Aqsa Mosque.

And, since May 10, Israel has been shelling and carrying out airstrikes against Gaza Strip. The aggression has thus far incurred 236 deaths and 6,278 injuries, as reported by the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA).

The strikes also caused the destruction of more than 200 residential units in the Gaza Strip and 31 educational establishments, including schools, colleges, and vocational training centres. According to the United Nations, 40,000 Palestinians got displaced – mainly from the North to the South – while 2,500 lost their homes.