Material for reconstruction of the Gaza Strip is to be shipped via Egypt and not Israel, the Qatari ambassador in the coastal enclave said Tuesday.

Muhammad al-Imadi told a news conference that the goods, promised weeks earlier, would be shipped via the Gaza-Egypt Rafah crossing rather than through Israel.

The Egyptians will receive a list from a Gaza reconstruction committee with details about specifications and quantities of the needed material, he said. The list will also include a timetable for shipments.

Construction will start with a medical center for rehabilitation and surgery involving artificial limbs, construction of the Sheikh Hamad city, and rehabilitation of three streets, he added.

The Qatari government early this month invited tenders for four construction projects, in the first stage of a $254 million project to rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip.

Al-Imadi is heading a committee overseeing the work.

Consultants have been invited to submit designs for Sheikh Hamad Ben Khalifa al-Thani city, a $30-million development of 1,000 residential units in five-story apartment blocks, schools, stores, clinics, parks and entertainment facilities.

The 35 km coastal highway al-Rashid Street will cost around $50 million to repair, and $18 million has been allocated to reconstruct the 10 km al-Karama Street. The 28 km Salah Addin Street will be repaired first, at a cost of $60 million, as the plans are ready.

(Ma’an)