Under the correct circumstances and if the Israeli embargo is lifted, experts told The National on Wednesday that clearing the tonnes of debris left in Gaza by the 15 months of Israeli bombardment may be completed far faster than the UN had previously predicted.
According to a UN reconstruction official, the US is using the agency’s assessment from last year that debris removal would take at least 15 years to complete as a pretext to justify uprooting the 2.3 million Palestinians living in the enclave.
Regarding Israel’s prohibition of essential equipment, including excavators, from entering the Gaza Strip, one UN expert remarked, “This is the highest figure I’ve heard and now the issue is becoming very political.
According to a UN Environment Programme research, the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) had projected that it would take 15 years and cost $500 million to $600 million to clear the Gaza Strip of debris.
The US’s promotion of the 15-year timeline is “evidence that they do not intend to rebuild quickly,” Ahmad Al Dalou, deputy project manager of the Gaza Reconstruction Committee at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told The National.
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