By Nidal Al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters). Palestinian Zeyad Abdul Odah smiled while his house of four stories, which was destroyed by an Israeli air strike during last May’s fighting, was slowly rebuilt in Gaza’s Beach refugee camp.

He is one lucky few. The slow pace at which reconstruction is taking place eight months after the end of the conflict has caused frustration in Palestinians.

We felt better when things began to move. Abu Odah (60) said that in six to seven months, he and his family will be back at home with their children and loved ones. Construction workers were finishing up the first floor.

Abu Odah’s 50-member extended family has lived in four homes apart since the conflict.

Officials from Gaza believe it will take $479million to rebuild the infrastructure and homes that were destroyed in war. Qatar and Egypt each have pledged 500 million to rebuild the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip is governed by Hamas militants.

Naji Sarhan (Gaza’s deputy housing minister) stated that only $100 million has been available and that reconstruction was underway on 50 of the 1,650 homes destroyed. Sarhan mentioned Israeli pressures but didn’t elaborate.

“It’s clear that the Israeli occupation is exerting pressure on political decisions and creating obstacles,” he said to Reuters.

COGAT is the liaison office for the Palestinians of the Israeli Defence Ministry. They did not reply to my request.

Israel is the country that controls Gaza’s commercial crossroads. According to Israel, reconstruction must be linked with a settlement for two Israeli civilians as well as the remains of two Israeli soldiers held hostage by Hamas.

It recently granted more materials for construction into Gaza in an apparent attempt to ease tensions.

LACK OF ARAB SUPPORT

Sarhan pointed out that there is not much support from the Arab world and other countries for reconstruction beyond Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.

Sarhan declared that “reconstruction is slow” and does not meet his ambitions.

According to Gaza’s Hamas government, Israeli air strikes partially damaged 59,000 more homes in the conflict. Some Israeli homes were hit by rockets fired by Islamist Hamas or other militant groups.

UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) has helped to repair damaged homes of refugee families.

Hazem Qassem, Hamas spokeswoman, stated that Hamas had expressed its dismay at the rate of reconstruction to Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations, while blaming Israeli restrictions.

Qassem said, “Continuing to this pace means continuing the suffering of Palestinian people. There can’t be any calm while this continues.”

Egyptian bulldozers, engineers, and contractors have been working in northern Gaza Strip for the first three large Cairo-funded housing projects.

Sarhan stated that the Egyptian “cities”, would be home to nearly 4,000 families. It was unclear when construction would be finished.

He added that cities would be available to low-income individuals as well hardship victims and those who lost their home in conflict.

Palestinian officials claim that 250 Palestinians, including 66 children were killed in Israeli air strikes against Gaza in May. Israeli officials claim that 13 Palestinian rockets killed two Israelis.