Rainwater overflowed the streets and houses of the al-Nafaq neighborhood during the last week’s heavy rains. As was also the case last year, rainwater flooded the neighborhood and residents were forced to leave their homes by swimming. The al-Nafaq neighborhood, Gaza City, November 27, 2014 (Photo: Activestills)

Gaza: Massive Shortage of Construction Materials

Gaza is currently plagued by a massive shortage of construction materials, making it the besieged enclave’s number one immediate problem. Estimates place the need at five million tons, mostly for restoring homes and basic infrastructure. However, between August 26 and November 20, only 62,928 tons of construction materials entered Gaza, just 1.2 percent of the…