EN
ID
ACTNews, GAZA STRIP - Since the Israeli attack in 2014, hundreds of
Palestinians have lost their homes. According to UNRWA as of August 11, 2014,
the number of houses destroyed was 70 percent higher than the destruction
caused by Israeli attacks in 2008-2009. Still, according to UNRWA, as many as
70% of the residents affected by the attack were refugees.
Saber Abu Nahl was
one of the residents who lost his home in Israeli attacks more than six years
ago. Until now, he is still frequently moving from one house to another after his
house in the Al-Nada area was destroyed in 2014.
For Abu Nahl who
works as a taxi driver, the monthly rent of USD 117 per month is very
burdensome. "I dreamed day and night to go back home," Abu Nahl told
Arab News.
Currently, Abu
Nahl lives in a modest rental house in the Jabalia refugee camp area with seven
other family members. His income is often insufficient even to meet their daily
needs.
“Many days I
return to my children with not enough to feed them, so how do I manage their
affairs and pay the rent in light of a devastating economic situation?” he
said.
The war has also
brought bad memories for Navin Barakat, a widow who got a new apartment in
early 2020.
In the 2014
attack, her apartment in the Al-Nada area was destroyed. Barakat, her husband
Rami, and their children took refuge in a school which, at that time, served as
a shelter. Unfortunately, an Israeli artillery shell hit the school. Barakat's
husband died and the children were injured.
“I lost my
husband at the age of 37. I want to live in peace and raise my children.” she
said.
The war launched
by Israel against Gaza, which lasted from July 8 till August 26, 2014,
destroyed 12,000 housing units and partially destroyed 160,000, of which 6,600
were uninhabitable, according to the Ministry of Works and the UN Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Unfortunately,
of the many houses that were destroyed, there are still around 1,500 housing units
that have not been rebuilt, as told by a Palestinian MP Jamal Khudari who is
also the head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege.
In an official
statement to the media on Friday (10/7/2020), Khudari said that the suffering
of Gazans who lost their homes due to the Israeli attack in 2014 was very “complex”
because, apart from losing their homes, they also deal with the consequences of
the blockade imposed upon Gaza that has lasted for years.
"Although
there are no more attacks from Israel, the bad effects are still ongoing,"
said Khudari. He added that the Coronavirus outbreak and the ongoing blockade
have perpetuated the suffering of the Gazans and aggravated their tragedy.
House waqf for Palestine
As an effort to
build Palestinian life, Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) will build housing for
Palestinians through the House Waqf program for Palestine. Flats for
Palestinians are planned to be built on 5,000 m2 land in the Ezbat
Abd Rabo area in North Jabaliya, Gaza Strip.
"One of the
advantages of this location is that it is located between three regions, namely
Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Tuffah," explained ACT's partner in Gaza.
Insha Allah, on
this land, ACT will build a comfortable residential complex for Palestinians to
help fulfill their basic needs while empowering local construction workers. []
