UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Israel Wednesday to back the reconstruction of Gaza, deploring conditions there nearly a year after a devastating Israeli military offensive.
“Ten months after hostilities ended in Gaza, we see no progress on reconstruction or the re-opening of borders,” he said at a news conference.
Ban said 4.5 billion dollars in reconstruction aid had been pledged at a donors conference in Egypt in March but “little if any of that money has been delivered.”
“Families have not been able to rebuild their homes. Clinics and schools are still in ruins,” he said.
“I urge Israel to accept the UN reconstruction proposals as set forth, recognizing that the only true guarantee of peace is people’s well-being and security,” he said.
Retaliating for rocket attacks into Israel from Gaza, the Israeli military swept into the Hamas-controlled territory in December and January in a fierce campaign that left an estimated 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.
Gaza has remained under a strict Israeli blockade ever since, despite demands by the international community after hostilities ended in January for Israel to open crossings into Gaza.
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