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One Year After the Gaza War
(New York Times) Jodi Rudoren and Majd al-Waheidi - A year after the halt to hostilities between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza on Aug. 26, 2014, just 719 families have actually purchased cement or other materials to rebuild their homes. International donors have sent about $340 million of the $2.5 billion they pledged for Gaza's reconstruction last fall, and much of that was spent on removing rubble, on temporary housing or on minor repairs. About 78,000 Gaza families received money to repair homes with minor or moderate damage (though many of them resold some of the cement). Israeli, Palestinian and UN officials acknowledge that cement has flooded Gaza's black market, with some undoubtedly ending up in the militants' underground tunnel network. "We know and believe that some of it goes to the wrong places," said IDF Maj. Adam Avidan. At one point, 18 of 30 beneficiaries bought their full allotment of cement and "went the same day and sold it on the black market. They didn't build their houses." About 37,000 tons of cement sits unused in Gaza warehouses, nearing or past its expiration date for load-bearing projects. Mofeed M. Al-Hassaina, the Gaza-based minister of housing and public works, as well as other Palestinian leaders and UN representatives, all said that Israel had done its part in reasonable time and had allowed cement into Gaza.