Links
UN: Gaza needs construction material before winter
Thousands of Gaza Palestinians left homeless by an Israeli invasion face a cold and rainy winter unless Israel allows building supplies in, a senior U.N. official said Monday.
ut Israel has ruled out unrestricted shipments, fearing the material would be used by militants.
Thousands of homes in Gaza were damaged or destroyed during Israel's fierce three-week winter offensive against the territory's Hamas rulers, aimed at stopping years of rocket attacks.
Although the offensive ended nine months ago, the homes have not been repaired because Israel does not allow raw materials to enter the territory, part of its two-year blockade imposed after Hamas seized power in Gaza.
"For the people in Gaza, life is miserable, life is not getting better, winter is coming, the rain is coming," Maxwell Gaylard, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said after touring a badly hit Gaza neighborhood.