Gazans suffer from delayed rebuilding after Israel-Hamas fighting

Hundreds of Palestinians in the Israel-blockaded Gaza Strip have been homeless since their houses were destroyed by an Israeli airstrike during the recent round of hostilities between the Israeli army and Palestinian militants in Gaza, reported Xinhua.

In April, tensions escalated in East Jerusalem and then spread to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in May after an Israeli court's verdict to evict Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in the city.

On May 10, Israel waged a large-scale air offensive on the Gaza Strip after militants led by Hamas, ruler of Gaza, fired a barrage of rockets toward Israel.

The exchange of fire lasted 11 days until Egypt brokered a cease-fire between the two sides. More than 250 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the fighting, with widespread destruction of buildings and infrastructure in Gaza.

According to official Israeli statistics, Israel launched more than 1,800 air, sea and land attacks on the Gaza Strip during the May offensive, targeting homes, residential buildings, government headquarters, and infrastructure.

The Israeli attacks on the Palestinian coastal enclave led to the displacement of more than 107,000 people, 44,000 of them now in shelters and the rest living with their relatives.

Earlier this month, the World Bank said in a report that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in May caused up to 380 million U.S. dollars in physical damage and 190 million dollars in economic losses in Palestinian territories.

The report, which was made in conjunction with the European Union and the United Nations, noted that the recovery needs have been estimated at up to 485 million dollars during the first 24 months.