"Turkey, Qatar wil contribute to Gaza reconstruction"

Youssef al-Mansi, the minister of public affairs of Hamas' Gaza-based Palestinian government, said on Sunday that Turkey and Qatar would contribute to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which was destroyed during an Israeli offensive two years ago. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, al-Mansi stated that Turkey had made important contributions to several projects aiming to reconstruct Gaza. "Turkey's contributions are clearly seen in Gaza," said al-Mansi. Al-Mansi also said a delegation from Gaza would be sent to Ankara following a meeting between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of Hamas's Gaza-based government, which is expected to be held after Ramadan. Emphasizing that Turkey has promised to support Gaza in the fields of infrastructure, health and education, al-Mansi stated that Qatar has made a similar pledge. "Qatar will provide $224 million in aid to Gaza after Ramadan," he stated. Al-Mansi remarked that the Qatari funds would be used to reconstruct Selahaddin Street, which connects villages and cities in Gaza, and the houses in Gaza destroyed by Israel, adding that the money would also be used to widen the coastal road.

Al-Mansi further stated that Kuwait has promised to construct a residential area in Han Yunus city. Due to conflict with Israel between 2007 and 2008 and an intensive three-week operation known as Operation Cast Lead conducted by Israel beginning in December 2008, many government buildings and houses were destroyed and thousands of Palestinians were left homeless.