Initial losses of bad weather that hit Gaza 64 million dollars

Gaza government said that the direct material losses of the bad weather that hit the Strip were estimated at 64 million dollars, and that the rescue teams succeeded to control the situation, despite the lack of equipment and the blockade.

Minister of Public Works and Housing Yousef Gariz reviewed, during a press conference held on Saturday evening at the headquarters of Ministry of Information in Gaza, the details of losses left by the bad weather conditions, pointing out that about seven thousand families were displaced from their homes.

He said: “More than 3,300 houses were flooded and nearly one thousand others were damaged. Material losses of these residential units were estimated at about 40 million dollars.”

Gariz pointed out that the damage to the infrastructure sector and roads hit 12 million dollars, while losses of the transport sector reached about 2 million dollars

Regarding the industrial and commercial sector, nearly one thousand shops and industrial installations have been damaged so far, with losses estimated at U.S. $ 3 million, while the losses of the agricultural sector reached seven million dollars.

The minister stressed that the Palestinian government in Gaza has been working non-stop to confront the difficult conditions and save the citizens.

A young man in the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip died on Saturday of asphyxiation from a fire he was kindling in his room to stay warm, while 96 other citizens were wounded during the storm that hit the Palestinian territories.

The government Information Office said in a statement on Sunday that 804 families, comprising 4,316 people, took refuge in the shelters that have been opened across the Gaza Strip during the storm that hit the region for 4 days.

For his part, Hamas leader Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar said that because of the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip some Arab countries have announced that they will provide assistance to Gaza.