Palestinians accuse UNRWA of delaying Gaza home reconstruction

By Nour Abu Aisha
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday accused the UN refugee agency UNRWA of procrastinating the reconstruction of their homes destroyed during last year’s Israeli war.

This came in a protest organized by Palestinian factions outside the UNRWA office in Gaza City.

"I have the right to safe housing," and "UNRWA was created to facilitate, not complicate, the lives of refugees" read banners waved by protesters.

Angry Palestinians also burned rubber tires outside the UNRWA office during the protest.

Israel launched an 11-day military offensive on the Gaza Strip in May 2021 during which 2,075 homes were destroyed and 15,000 others damaged, according to the Government Information Office in Gaza.

The Israeli offensive came to a halt under an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.

"UNRWA has not accomplished anything regarding the reconstruction of our homes,” Bassam Al-Far, a member of the Arab Liberation Front, a faction in the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said during the protest.

He asserted that the reconstruction process is being delayed despite the availability of all the requirements to start it, including funding.

Al-Far called on UNRWA to hold accountable all those who "contributed to delaying the reconstruction process without justification."

Established in 1949 by the UN General Assembly, UNRWA's mission is to help Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat