Israeli fighter jets bombed the Zorob family’s two-story home in the Gaza Strip in 2019, leaving nothing but a pile of debris and despair.Four years later, the 10-member family lives in a 20-square-metre (215-square-foot) hut covered with nylon sheets as they wait to move into a permanent home.
A sprawling housing project, part of a USD 500-million Egyptian-funded renewal effort in Gaza, has raised hopes for hundreds of needy families like the Zorobs who have lost their homes in the conflict with Israel.But weeks before the spotless white buildings are set to be completed, there is no word on who qualifies for the 1,400 apartments — or even how to apply for one, as Gaza’s Hamas rulers and the rival, internationally recognised Palestinian Authority bicker over who will be in charge. “No one cares,” said 31-year-old Mohammed Zorob, blaming both sides for the delays. “They are sitting under air conditioners with their children and they don’t care about us.”The Zorobs are among an estimated 2,000 families, or roughly 12,000 people, whose homes have been destroyed in fighting with Israel in recent years, according to Gaza’s Housing Ministry.An additional 90,000 people live in damaged homes that have not been repaired, it said.A sputtering economy weakened by an Israeli-Egyptian blockade, Hamas’ international isolation and a lack of funding from the fatigued international community have all combined to hinder reconstruction efforts.But looming behind all of these problems has been the ongoing rivalry between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.In 2007, Hamas, an Islamic militant group that opposes Israel’s existence, seized control of Gaza from the PA a year after winning parliamentary elections.
The violent takeover left the PA in control only of semi-autonomous areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, even as it claims to be the legitimate international representative of both areas.