GAZA CITY // Israel is to allow the entry of more building materials into the Gaza Strip, officials on both sides said on Sunday.
“About 1,000 tonnes of cement and building materials will enter the Gaza Strip for storm damage restoration and other projects of UN agencies,” the Israeli defence ministry said.
A fierce winter storm hit the Palestinian enclave last month, with strong winds and heavy flooding causing damage to homes and infrastructure.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which cares for Palestinian refugees, said it had been given the go-ahead for new construction but said the work was unrelated to storm repairs.
“Israel informed UNRWA that it approved the entry of construction materials for six new projects in Gaza,” the agency’s spokesman Ahmad Abu Hassna said, adding that they were for a residential neighbourhood and five schools.
Delivery was expected during the week. But Raed Fatuh, the Palestinian Authority official in charge of the entry of goods into Gaza, said “the Palestinian side has not been officially informed about this”.
Israel in October reinstated an on-off ban on construction materials for Gaza, after troops discovered a sophisticated tunnel running under the Israel-Gaza border, built with the alleged aim of perpetrating Palestinian militant attacks.
In December it said it would allow renewed shipments, but only for use in UN projects.
The import of steel and cement for private use has been banned, except for a brief interlude, since the Islamist group Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007 for fear it would use such materials to build tunnels and fortify its fighters’ positions.
The territory has been under an Israeli blockade since 2006, when Gaza militants snatched an Israeli soldier who was released in a prisoner swap deal in 2011.
The blockade was tightened in 2007 after Hamas seized control, but eased considerably in recent years following successive waves of international pressure.
* Agence France-Presse
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Results
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Specs
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Range: 400km
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The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The Freedom Artist
By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)
