Slow progress in Gaza

A United Nations agency says about three-quarters of the damage inflicted by Israel's war on Gaza more than a year ago has not been repaired or rebuilt.

Israel continues to bar construction material from entering Hamas-ruled Gaza as part of an overall blockade of the territory.

The UN Development Programme said in a report yesterday that Gazans have carried out small-scale repairs worth US$173 million ($255 million) with recycled rubble or material smuggled through border tunnels.