Palestinian leaders demanded on Monday that Israel lift its embargo on the coastal area, which has been in place for 15 years.
The three days of Israeli bombings on Gaza and subsequent rocket fire ended with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, prompting the call the following day.
According to the Health Ministry, the Israeli offensive has resulted in the deaths of at least 45 Palestinians and the injuries of over 360 more. At a press briefing in Gaza City, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Dwelling Naji Sarhan said, “The current onslaught left 18 housing units demolished, 71 others inhabitable, and 1,675 partially damaged.”
He claimed his ministry had not received the promised money to reconstruct the roughly 2,200 homes destroyed in the Israeli attack on Gaza last year. He also mentioned that it would cost roughly $100 million to rebuild those homes.
Salama Marouf, a government spokesperson, has demanded that Israel halt its strategy of collective punishment against the people of Gaza. We are appealing to the international community to end the embargo on Gaza, he continued.
Since 2007, the lives of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been severely disrupted by Israel’s embargo on the coastal enclave. Official Ministry of Social Development official Ghazi Hamad stated the recent Israeli offensive “has aggravated the already terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
Israel’s policy of keeping the Gaza Strip weary and under strain is reflected in its repeated aggressions, he said.
