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* The Opetations Room raises alarm about Israel’s destruction of 96% of fishing boats, 74,000 vehicles, and 85% of the road network.
* Priority given to reopening vital roads linking hospitals and shelter centers
* The plan includes rehabilitating ports, transport professions, and resuming the work of traffic directorates.
RAMALLAH, December 22, 2025 (WAFA) - The Government Operations Room for Emergency Interventions in the Gaza Strip reviewed, on Monday, the Ministry of Transport recovery and reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip, in the presence of Minister of Transport and Communications Mohammad Al-Ahmad. The review is part of the government’s efforts to present sectoral relief and early recovery plans, coordinate national and international efforts, and direct limited resources toward national priorities, within a participatory approach involving relevant ministries, UN partners, and local institutions.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications explained that Israeli aggression resulted in the destruction of 96% of fishing boats, approximately 74,000 vehicles out of 87,000 registered vehicles, and 85% of the road network in the Gaza Strip. This has caused an almost complete paralysis of the transport sector, directly affecting the movement of citizens, basic services, and supply chains.
The Ministry noted that a phased implementation plan has been developed, focusing on early recovery during the first six months. The plan includes reopening roads and conducting initial rubble removal, providing spare parts for available machinery to support field operations, the preliminary reactivation of transport professions, and reorganizing road routes in line with current conditions and the scale of destruction.
Minister of Transport and Communications Mohammad Al-Ahmad stressed that the current phase is not aimed at comprehensive reconstruction, but rather at early recovery dictated by limited resources and the massive scale of destruction. He emphasized that priority will be given to reopening and rehabilitating main roads linking hospitals, shelter centers, and aid distribution areas, to enable ambulance, relief, and essential services to operate, even at a minimum level.
He also highlighted the importance of rehabilitating the fishermen’s port and fishing boats, given the sector’s vital role in providing direct employment opportunities and supporting reliance on the local food system amid the siege and disrupted supply chains. He affirmed that resuming fishing would generate income for families and help alleviate humanitarian pressure. He further stressed that providing spare parts for rubble-removal machinery is a prerequisite for reopening roads and restoring life to cities.
The Minister added that currently available funding covers only these basic interventions, due to the significant gap between the scale of destruction and available resources. This reality necessitates difficult prioritization aimed at keeping Gaza functional and mobile, while laying the groundwork for broader recovery once additional resources become available.
Samah Hamad, Head of the Operations Room, affirmed that the Ministry of Transport and Communications’ plan constitutes a core component of the early recovery and comprehensive reconstruction pathway, given the transport sector’s pivotal role in facilitating aid access, supporting productive sectors, connecting population centers, and strengthening the resilience of citizens in the Gaza Strip.
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