Palestinian-designed, self-build homes seen as key to Gaza’s recovery

Palestinian-designed, self-build homes seen as key to Gaza’s recovery

DUBAI: For Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, "home“ is a concept that rarely conjures images of safety and stability. Israel and Hamas have fought four short but savage wars since the militant group seized control of this sliver of territory in 2007. With each wave of violence comes a fresh cycle of destruction and reconstruction, a "recycling of pain,“ as Mohamed Abusal, an artist based in Gaza, told Arab News. At the end of May, tens of thousands of Palestinians returned to their homes in Gaza to inspect the damage following 11 days of fighting “” the gravest escalation in hostilities since the 2014 war. According to Palestinian officials, at least 2,000 housing units were destroyed and 15,000 damaged by the latest bout of violence, further degrading the already fragile humanitarian situation in Gaza, long squeezed by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade. Gaza had not yet recovered from the 2014 war when the fighting resumed on May 10. Older buildings now stand like crumbling tombstones alongside newly shattered edifices. It is a sight all too familiar to residents of the territory. To help redefine Gaza's ravaged urban topography, Palestinian architect Salem Al-Qudwa has developed a series of designs for