Palestinians protest stagnant Gaza reconstruction

Dozens of Palestinians demonstrated Monday outside the headquarters of the UN Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza city to protest the stagnant reconstruction process.

A 50-day large-scale air and ground Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip, which ended Aug 26, left thousands of Palestinian houses either completely destroyed or severely damaged.

The demonstrators held banners calling for an end to the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2006, Xinhua reported.

According to a statement issued by the rally's organiser, it slammed the international community, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) for the slow process of allowing building materials into the Strip.

Some popular committees in Gaza, which joined the rally, said in a statement that they reject a UN-Israel mechanism over allowing the construction materials into the enclave.

They said the mechanism tends to increase the suffering of the populations and intensify the siege rather than easing it.

The statement also called on the international community to fulfill its pledges for the reconstruction of the destroyed houses.