Only 40 percent of Gaza's post-war aid delivered: Officials

Officials from the Palestinian and International community have raised concerns over the progress of reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip, after only 40 percent of the money pledged was delivered. 

Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah said they were able to repair more than 100,000 partially damaged homes, while giving compensation to businesses damaged in the war between Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian factions.

But he warned that funding was drying up.

"We call upon you to honour your obligations and effectively contribute to saving Gaza," he told a conference of donors, United Nations officials and others in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

International donors last October pledged $3.5bn to rebuild the Gaza Strip after the 51-day war that killed more than 2,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom were civilians.

Speaking to a conference of donors and UN officials in the Occupied West Bank, Hamdallah said ""we call upon you to honour your obligations and effectively contribute to saving Gaza".

Gaza remains under an Israeli blockade, which limits the import and export of goods and restricts many basic materials, such as wood and concrete.

Israeli fears of construction material being used for militant purposes has also been blamed for impeding reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip. 

The UN's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, said: "Reconstruction is progressing and it is progressing because of the excellent efforts of both the government of Palestine and international community".

"But the difficulties in Gaza remain."

Bashir Rayyes, the Palestinian Authority's coordinator for Gaza reconstruction, said reconstruction was suffering from shortages.

"The big part of the third [of funds delivered] went to humanitarian assistance and feeding people and what have you. So, what we really have for the Gaza reconstruction is less than $400m, way less than $400m, and that in itself is a very big problem."

"[The $400m] only brings Gaza back to its previous misery in 2014, but that's not enough."

He said at the current rate, the reconstruction efforts could continue until as late as 2020.

Concerns over the funding for reconstruction efforts on the Gaza Strip come amid recent announcements of Israel expanding the Gaza fishing zone from seven to nine nautical miles.