Turkish aid agency builds homes for war-affected Gazans

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestine’s Housing Ministry on Wednesday took possession of 320 housing units recently built by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in the Gaza Strip.

A handing-over ceremony held at the ministry's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah was attended by Palestinian Housing Minister Mufid al-Hasayneh and TIKA's representative in Palestine, Bulent Korkmaz.

Al-Hasayneh told Anadolu Agency that the units had been especially built for people with special needs who had lost their homes in Israel’s 2014 military onslaught against the Gaza Strip.

He added that the housing units would be handed over next week to 320 Palestinian families in Gaza.

Al-Hasayneh went on to extend special thanks to the Turkish government and people for their continued support for the Palestinian people.

Korkmaz, for his part, said the Turkish government would “spare no effort” in supporting the Palestinian people and cause.

In the upcoming phase, he said, TIKA would also undertake the restoration of 110 Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem.

In mid-2014, Israel launched a devastating assault on the Gaza Strip that left at least 2,400 Palestinians dead and thousands of residential homes destroyed.