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Many Gazans remain homeless one year after siege
Thousands of Gazans were made homeless during Israel's three-week military offensive against the Hamas-ruled territory a year ago. Most Gazans are still living in tents.
Majid Al Athamna is one of these homeless people but he is considered lucky to receive the key to his new house from the UN officials. He left his tent to live in a mud house, which the officials told him was just a temporary replacement for the house the Israelis demolished nearly a year ago.
The Al Athamna family is the first to receive a house from the UNRWA which is planning to build more mud-brick houses. The house has two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom.
According to UNRWA officials it was built using locally-made mud bricks as well as salvaged bricks from destroyed homes. According to supervisors of the project they use three per cent cement in every mud brick to help make the construction strong enough and inexpensive.