(VOVworld) -  Qatar on Tuesday launched a project to build 1,000 homes in the Gaza Strip to house Palestinians displaced by last summer's Israeli military offensive.

A boy loads rubble onto a donkey-cart in the Shujaiyya neighbourhood, Gaza, on 28 February, 2015 (Photo: AA)

The head of the Qatari project, Mohammed al-Emadi said this was part of the 1 billion USD aid package that Qatar pledged at a donors’ conference. Al-Emadi said four shipments of building materials had entered the blockaded enclave on Tuesday thanks to the efforts made by the Palestinian government to coordinate with the Israeli authorities. He also called on other countries to help the people in the conflict affected area.

In another development, the EU criticized Israel for destroying an EU sponsored makeshift settlement in East Jerusalem on Tuesday.