By Mohamed Maged
GAZA CITY
Turkish Consul-General in Jerusalem Mustafa Sarnic and Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) chief Serdar Cam on Monday laid the foundation stone for a Turkish-funded housing project for families affected by the recent Israeli onslaught on the embattled enclave.
The TIKA-financed project, which entails building 1,000 prefab housing units, serves as a Turkish contribution to support those negatively affected by the recent Israeli offensive, Sarnic said at the launch ceremony.
He also called for lifting Israel's years-long siege on the Palestinian enclave and providing support to the Palestinian people until peace is achieved.
For his part, Cam described the project as a "message to the people of Gaza to remain steadfast and keep alive."
He went on to say that the housing units were "nothing but a simple token to the free Palestinian people to go on with their lives."
He also noted that the housing units would provide temporary shelter to affected families to help them overcome the crisis.
"Since the end of the Israeli war, we have been working on planning the project to provide shelter to those affected," Cam added.
During Israel's recent offensive, 15,671 housing units across the coastal strip were damaged, including 2,276 that were totally destroyed, according to official Palestinian figures.
More than 2,160 Gazans, meanwhile, mostly civilians, were killed – and some 11,000 injured – during seven weeks of unrelenting Israeli bombardment through July and August.
The Israeli offensive finally ended on August 26 with the announcement of an indefinite cease-fire agreement.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en
