Israel cuts number of lumber shipments to Gaza Strip

Israel has cut the number of lumber shipments to the besieged Gaza Strip, causing further restrictions in the reconstruction of the houses destroyed in Tel Aviv’s aggression on the enclave last summer.

Palestinian importers said Monday that a daily load of 200 cubic meters (7,000 cubic feet) of lumber has been banned from entering the besieged Gaza Strip.

The importers added that the number of planks used by furniture factories would also be restricted from a daily of 6,000 to 2,400, citing a directive received by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority from Israel.

Israel claims that Hamas could use the imported goods to rebuild military constructions.

The imposed restrictions by Tel Aviv will hamper reconstruction housing efforts in Gaza after the Israel war last summer.

According to a recent UN assessment, over 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, affecting more than 600,000 people. Many people still lack access to the municipal water network.

The charity Oxfam earlier said that rebuilding the Gaza Strip after the Israeli regime’s 50-day war will take at least a century at the current rate of progress.

Israel attacked the Palestinian territory in early July 2014. The war ended in late August that year. Nearly 2,200 Palestinians lost their lives and some 11,000 were injured in the attacks. Gaza Health officials say the victims included 578 children and nearly 260 women.

The Gaza Strip has been under a crippling Israeli siege since 2007. The blockade, which has cut off the territory from the outside world, has led to an economic and humanitarian crisis in the densely-populated enclave.