Gaza needs new housing, but where will it build?
It seems that the growing need for housing units has prompted Gaza's government to build in high-risk buffer zones near the eastern border.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Faced with rapid population growth and a dwindling area for housing in the Gaza Strip’s urban centers, the Hamas government has been subsidizing housing investments and building housing projects in al-muharrarat, the former Israeli settlements evacuated during the unilateral Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005.
The first project began in 2010 with government support. Later, individual and private investments started to emerge with government support for civilian housing associations.
Naji Sarhan, the undersecretary of Gaza's Housing Ministry, told Al-Monitor, “The Ministry of Housing and Planning has established a large number of residential projects in al-muharrarat, as they are the only government land available for such huge projects."
The first residential project started in 2010, when Zuhair al-Mansi was serving as minister for public works and housing. It consisted of the construction of two housing units to the west of Khan Yunis.
