Cement Trucks Roll Into Gaza With Israel Assured Hamas Sidelined
By Saud Abu Ramadan and Jonathan Ferziger Oct 14, 2014 10:13 AM ET
Trucks carrying cement, gravel and iron crossed Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip following assurances the materials for rebuilding the war-battered territory won’t be diverted by Hamas.
Israeli guards admitted 75 trucks today at the Kerem Shalom terminal, the first bound for private contractors since convoys were cut off in December, Palestinian Authority liaison officer Raed Fattouh said in an e-mail. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed the convoy in a visit to Gaza, after international donors meeting this week in Cairo pledged $5.4 billion for the reconstruction project.
“The destruction which I have seen while coming to here is beyond description,” Ban told reporters in Gaza.
The 50-day war in July and August laid waste to neighborhoods across the 40-kilometer-long (25-mile) seaside enclave with at least 20,000 structures destroyed or severely damaged, according to the Palestinian Authority. Hamas and other militant groups fired thousands of rockets and mortar shells at Israel. More than 2,100 Palestinians and 70 Israelis died in the conflict.
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