Five years after Israel and Egypt closed their gates, the Palestinian strip of land they encircle is rising from the ashes of war and siege. "We're building cities," says a delighted un engineer, putting the finishing touches to "Saudi City", a public housing estate replete with garages, tiled bathrooms and dishwashers that cost its Saudi sponsors $i2om. Built on land where Israel first settled Jews after its 1967 conquest and then removed them in 2005, it is set to open its doors to 10,000 residents in the next few months. Under the baton of the Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas, thousands more homes, hundreds of schools and half a dozen hospitals are sprouting. Circumventing Israeli and Egyptian restrictions above ground, Gaza's tunnel complex under the border with Egypt is also facilitating a private construction boom, consisting of around 550 tower blocks.
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