In Saudi partnership, UNDP builds hundreds of new homes in Gaza

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Wednesday tweeted a photo showing new buildings among the hundreds built in Gaza by the world body in partnership with Saudi Arabia.

This is one of many initiatives taken by Saudi Arabia in support of the Palestinian people. On February 13 this year, the UNDP announced that it signed agreements with 120 of the 275 people whose homes were to be renovated.

“As part of their continuous efforts to support the Palestinian people, and with the $10 million additional contribution from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), the UNDP signed today new agreements with 120 people, out of the 275, who will be benefiting from the repair and reconstruction of their homes that have been damaged following the Gaza 2014 hostilities,” the UNDP statement said. “This brings the total SFD contribution to $71.5 million, benefiting approximately 13,195 families from the Gaza Strip.”

In January, the UNDP announced that 26 families would be the owners of new homes at al-Ameer Nayef bin Abdelaziz Saudi neighborhood in Beit Lahia, owing to funding from Saudi Arabia. The funding was part of a project to reconstruct 100 housing units for Palestinian families.

Earlier, in April 2018, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the UNDP signed an agreement with the SFD for $10 million to cover house reconstruction and rehabilitation works in the Gaza Strip.

According to the UNDP, this new contribution was to cover more than 200 totally damaged houses for Palestinian non-refugees.

“So far, around 11,913 partial, 389 severe, and 282 totally damaged homes were rebuilt with support from the Government of Saudi Arabia through the Saudi Fund for Development, in addition to the rehabilitation and furnishing of five playgrounds, one cultural center, and three non-governmental schools,” the UNDP statement said.