In pictures.. Egypt sends engineering equipment to Gaza to start reconstruction
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Egypt today sent a convoy of technical teams and engineering equipment to remove the rubble left by the Israeli bombing of Gaza during the recent war between Israel and Hamas, and to prepare for reconstruction operations, according to an official statement.
The statement stated that "on the instructions of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Egyptian engineering equipment and technical staff crossed the Rafah border today to the Gaza Strip to contribute to removing rubble and the rubble of demolished houses and towers, in the context of relieving the citizens of the Strip and quickly returning life to normal."
The statement added that this convoy will "pave the way for the start of the reconstruction process."
Egyptian television channels broadcast pictures of dozens of bulldozers, cranes and trucks carrying Egyptian flags as they cross from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip.
Egypt played a major role in mediating a truce between the two sides.
On the 20th of May, the Egyptian President announced the allocation of $500 million in aid for the reconstruction of Gaza, provided that Egyptian companies would participate in these works.
Egypt also sent food aid through the Rafah crossing to Gaza and received wounded from the Strip for treatment in Egyptian hospitals.
According to the Ministry of Housing in Gaza, 1,500 housing units were completely destroyed during the fighting, 1,500 other units were uninhabitable, and 17,000 units were partially damaged.
An official in the ministry estimated the cost of reconstruction at about 150 million dollars.
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