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Over 72,000 homeowners in Gaza cleared to receive home repair materials: UN

Xinhua, February 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

The United Nations on Wednesday said that as of Feb. 22, more than 72,000 homeowners have been cleared to receive construction material for shelter repairs and close to 50,000 have already procured construction material to date.

"The processing of some 71 construction projects through the Palestinian Authority is ongoing, including housing projects, water networks and schools," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"Of these, 25 projects have been approved to date," he said, adding that these approved projects include schools, water related projects and waste management related projects.

"The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is currently providing shelter and basic services to almost 11,000 internally displaced people living in 15 collective centers," he said. "Over one million people across the Gaza Strip are receiving food assistance, mainly from UNRWA and the World Food Programme (WFP)."

The recently launched Strategic Response Plan for occupied Palestinian territory seeks 705 million U.S. dollars to assist 1.6 million Palestinians in need, he said.

These Palestinians are struggling to recover from last summer's fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in the coastal enclave. The conflict damaged or destroyed more than 96,000 homes, more than double the original estimate, along with much of the tiny enclave's infrastructure, UNWRA said in December.

More than 14,000 people driven from their homes by the conflict still live in schools run by UNWRA, while others live in makeshift shelters or prefabricated housing units, or homes so badly damaged that they are exposed to the elements.

Heavy winter storms last month added to the suffering of the people of Gaza, especially as electricity, fuel and cooking gas were running short there. Endite