CRI听力:Gaza Reconstruction to Cost 8 Bln Dollars

Despite being in a relative state of peace for the past week, reconstruction in the badly-damaged Gaza Strip has yet to fully get underway.

CRI's Qi Zhi has more.

At the only power plant in Gaza, the smell of smoke still lingers in the air.

The twisted fuel tanks hit by Israeli missiles remain as they are, with only a handful of guards maintaining the site.

"We will switch these fuel tanks and bring new ones. We try to repair these in one month, and then the power plant will restart working partially."

The 50-day-assault by Israeli forces in Gaza has left the enclave covered in rubble, with 17-thousand homes in need of rebuilding.

Cost estimates of rebuilding in the Strip are close to 8 billion US dollars.

Naim Al-Simri, an engineer with the Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing in Gaza, says they're still trying to get a clearer picture of what kind of damage they're going to be dealing with.

"We still have to visit the places and account the number of the areas. All the details should be accounted and recorded. After that we are going to remove the rubbles. Then we will start the reconstruction."

Initial estimates suggest it may take upward of two years to finish rebuilding the strip.

However, al-Simri also says that depends heavily on whether or not rebuilding materials will be made available, as both Israel and Egypt have severely restricted the import of construction materials to Gaza.

"We need a huge amount of construction materials, like aggregate, cement and steel. It depends how Israel and Egypt can open the borders with us. It should be from the first day since signing the agreement, but until now, no construction materials entered Gaza, either from Egyptian side or from Israeli side."

Hosam Al-Safady is the manager of a local construction company in Gaza.

"If the borders are open widely, there will be a very big quantity of projects. But if the quantity derived is controlled and limited, the projects will be limited. Until now no exist for all the materials needed for construction. All the borders are closed. The situation now is as it was before the war, no change."

Al-Safady admits the 3 major battles fought in Gaza over the past 6-years has put their rebuilding well behind where it should be.

"Some of the houses damaged in the previous wars are not repaired until now, because we are suffering from the siege, a little quantity of materials was derived in Gaza, and all the projects are controlled by this small quantity. The new damage in this war will be added to the previous damage."

Observers say the damage caused in this latest Israeli incursion into Gaza is upward of four times as bad as it was in the previous assault on Gaza.

For CRI, I'm Qizhi.