Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will estimate the likely timetable for rebuilding infrastructure in Gaza following the July 2014 conflict.

Over 94,000 beneficiaries have so far been able to buy construction materials to repair their homes through the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM). The ‘Residential Stream’ of the GRM, launched on 25 June 2015, aims to facilitate the reconstruction of totally destroyed homes and infrastructure. As of 8^th September, there are over 2,800 beneficiaries participating in the residential stream of the mechanism. The UK is the fourth largest donor to the GRM behind Norway, Germany and the Netherlands, providing a total of £700,000 since October 2014. The UN estimates that at the current rate, it may take 20 years to rebuild houses in the 2014 conflict. A more comprehensive lifting of restrictions as part of a political agreement is the only long-term solution for rebuilding infrastructure in Gaza.