Feature: Gaza kicks off reconstruction process amid ruins of war

A year after Israel waged its large-scale military offensive on the Gaza Strip, a world-pledged reconstruction plan kicked off Wednesday by starting the construction of the first house that was completely destroyed in the 50-day war, officials said.

In the eastern Shuja'ia community, Lutfi Harara, 42-year-old father of 13 children saw his three-floor home completely destroyed by random Israeli tank shells on July 22 last year. On Wednesday, he put the basis for his new home after he received the needed construction materials.

"My name was listed among those who had their homes totally destroyed during the war. I waited one whole year for this moment to rebuild my destroyed home and here comes the moment," said Harara in a ceremony attended by Minister of Public Works and Housing Mufid Hasayna.

Harara said he was scheduled to get the needed construction materials next Sunday, adding "but I wanted to start rebuilding my house on the same date it was completely destroyed. So I borrowed construction materials from a cements dealer and on Sunday I will give him his cements back."

Harara said he suffered a lot through the past year, adding "I temporarily lived with my family members in a small house with two rooms and a tin ceiling."

The large-scale Israeli military offensive waged on the Gaza Strip had left large destruction in infrastructure, housing, industry and agriculture.

According to the United Nations, at the end of the Israeli offensive, around 100,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip became displaced. However, most of them returned home with the help of the UN, mainly by renovating their partially damaged homes.

Hasayna told reporters at the inauguration ceremony of the reconstruction plan that his ministry in cooperation with the UN and other international donors will all work together in building around 18,000 completely destroyed houses.

"All what I can say now is that the wheel of the pledged construction plan kicked off and it will not stop. I'm certain that the coming days will witness a large movement of reconstructing homes which were totally destroyed during the last Israeli aggression on Gaza, "said Hasayna.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Works and Housing requires the owners of the houses which were totally destroyed during the war to bring with them the architecture design drawings.

On Oct. 12 last year, around 50 international donor countries held a two-day conference in Cairo and Pledged 5.4 billion U.S. dollars for the reconstruction in Gaza.

However, Palestinian internal split between Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party, as well as the dissatisfactory mechanism for the reconstruction resulted in the delay in launching the world pledged reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip.

Ra'ed Fattouh, Palestinian liaison coordinator of goods at the Israeli-controlled commercial crossing of Kerem Shalom on the borders between southeast Gaza Strip and Israel said in an emailed press statement that Israel on Wednesday allowed 500 trucks into Gaza.

"The 500 trucks were carrying various kinds of commercial and agricultural goods, as well fuels for engines," said Fattouh, adding "the 500 trucks include 43 trucks carrying reconstruction materials for international projects and 150 trucks carrying gravel for roads construction."

Israel in 2007 imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip and considered the coastal enclave a hostile entity after Hamas movement violent takeover of it.

Since then, Israel waged three wars on the territory that left large-destructions and a deteriorated economy with high rates of poverty and unemployment. Endit