Deep Read: Gaza reconstruction is only progressing where Israel has a problem
In the Gaza Strip, around a million Palestinians are preparing for their fourth winter without a roof over their heads. Wherever anything new is being built, it is not being done for humanitarian reasons.
The UNICEF representative Toby Fricker describes the remains of the Sheikh Ejleen sewage treatment plant south of Gaza City as charred, with concrete bars sticking up like skeletons. The German Development Ministry is not allowed to access the site by the Israeli army, but UNICEF plans to rebuild the plant with the help of the Red Cross by mid-2029 at a cost of around €9 million.
The Netherlands and the German development bank KfW are providing funding, although the exact amount of German taxpayers' money involved is still being checked. This rare instance of progress in Gaza comes as Israel allows work to proceed on sewage and waste projects, which have become a security risk as well as a humanitarian issue.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
