Gaza Reconstruction Stalls as Hamas, Fatah Unity Crumbles

Factions Operate Competing Checkpoints at Border

The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, devastated by last summer’s Israeli invasion, continues to go poorly, with continued disputes between Fatah and Hamas over the unity government keeping construction materials from entering in an efficient manner.

Fatah and Hamas have so far failed to reach a deal on the unity government, with the post-war agreement to let the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority handle imports leading to them demanding full control over the strip as a condition for letting the gear in.

At this point, Fatah and Hamas are both operating rival checkpoints at the border crossings with Israel, through which all material has to go, and Palestinians have to cope with both of them. In practice, this is stalling a lot of traffic, as few have the connections with both factions to facilitate travel.

Gaza residents are used to living in war-torn circumstances, but it’s particularly bad this year, as the region is experiencing one of the harshest winters in recent memory in the ruins of a recently finished war.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.