Basij Commander: Iran to Help Reconstruction of Gaza Strip

Commander of Basij (volunteer) Force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi announced that the Iranian people are collecting humanitarian aids and donations to help reconstruct the Gaza Strip after Israel’s recent destructive war on the enclave.
“Given the savage attacks of the Quds occupying regime against the Gaza people and as the Palestinian Children Support Day is approaching in Iran, some consultations have been made with the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation and it was decided that initial steps be taken to assist reconstruction of Gaza,” Naqdi said, addressing a press conference in Tehran on Sunday.

He said 10,600 Palestinian houses, 6 hospitals and 8 water pumps have been destroyed during the war, reminding that 60,000 missiles along with the weapons provided by the US were fired by the Zionist regime at the defenseless Palestinian people during the recent war.

Naqdi announced that fundraising and aid collection programs in support of the people of Gaza will be held across Iran on October 1-3.

Earlier this month, the Palestinian government approved a plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, estimating the cost of the reconstruction to be around $4 billion.

The plan was drawn up by a higher Gaza reconstruction committee headed by National Economy Minister Mohamed Mustafa and more than 20 ministries and local and international agencies, according to a statement by the Media Center at the Palestinian cabinet.

Israel’s 51-day war on the Palestinian enclave left 40,000 homes in total or partial ruin, while Israeli attacks destroyed more than 500 factories and almost half of Gaza’s agricultural fields, according to the Palestinian Housing Ministry.

“Eighteen percent of Gaza’s homes were either destroyed or damaged during the Israeli offensive,” Mustafa added.

“The reconstruction of these homes would cost around $1.9 billion,” he added.