Hamas is continuing to build up the Gaza Strip and has approved the construction of three high-rise apartment buildings in Gaza, United Press International reported earlier this week.
According to the report which quoted Hamas Housing Minister Yousef Alamanti, the 25,000 new apartments, which will be financed primarily by Iran, will cater to families whose husbands or sons were killed during IDF operations, newly married couples and those whose homes were damaged during Operation Cast Lead. The units will be sold for between $25,000 to $40,000 each.
The funding for the new buildings will come mainly from Iran but also from Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The buildings will be built in different areas of the Gaza Strip, including sites where former Jewish communities were located prior to their destruction in the disengagement from Gaza in 2005.
The construction of the high-rise buildings will take place despite continued claims by Hamas that there Israel is imposing a siege on the Gaza Strip. The supposed siege was the reason for the IHH flotilla last May, yet reports by Israel’s Foreign Ministry indicate that cement, iron, and building supplies such as wood and windows regularly enter the Strip. In the first quarter of 2010, 23 tons of iron and 25 tons of cement were transferred to the Gaza Strip. On May 13 of this year, just two weeks prior to the Gaza flotilla, Israel allowed approximately 39 tons of building material into Gaza to help rebuild a damaged hospital.
Furthermore, despite the supposed siege by Israel, a luxury mall opened in Gaza City this past summer. The mall sells a variety of goods including clothing, cosmetics, office supplies, toys, shoes, appliances and more. Two weeks ago it was reported that Hamas intends to build a second mall on the ruins of the Palestinian Authority’s security headquarters.
The new high-rise buildings which are now in the works will be located in a complex that will have an adjoining shopping center, schools, a playground and a mosque, said the report. In addition, well-funded international organizations are supervising projects aimed at improving the health, education and sanitary conditions in the Gaza Strip.