Officials in Gaza estimate the number of inhabited buildings in the Strip at risk of collapse at about two thousand. However, residents and officials acknowledge that there is no alternative to protect them from threats of the roofs sheltering them falling.
Eyewitnesses and those affected by the collapse of the “Al-Saada” building in Gaza City a week ago spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat about potential dangers with the approach of winter and rain, which may accelerate the collapse of other buildings destroyed by the Israeli war on the Strip.
On Tuesday, the Syrian General Corporation for Road Transport signed a contract with the Kuwaiti Combined Group Contracting Company (CGC) for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the Damascus-Nasib Highway (Jordanian border), at the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of the Minister of Transport, Yaarub Badr, the Governor of Daraa, Anwar Al-Zoubi, and representatives of the Kuwaiti Combined Group Contracting Company, according to Al-Ekhbariya correspondent.
Director of the General Corporation for Road Transport, Moaz Najjar, said that the rehabilitation of the highway represents an important step to develop the road network and raise the efficiency of the infrastructure, noting that the project would improve the flow of transport and trade.
Najjar explained that the Nassib-Damascus Highway is a vital hub for transportation, freight and connectivity between Syria and neighboring countries, expressing his aspiration that the project will constitute a model of cooperation and investment in infrastructure projects.
For his part, the representative of the Kuwaiti Combined Group Contracting Company, Jibril Jaber, confirmed that the company will carry out maintenance and rehabilitation work in accordance with approved quality standards and specifications.
In a special statement to the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, the head of the Roads and Transport Committee of the Engineers Syndicate, Damascus branch, Muhannad Muhammad Alfa, stated that the value of the contract is estimated at $46 million to rehabilitate and maintain the road over a distance of 100 kilometers, for a period of up to 13 months.
The works include rehabilitating the asphalt layer, lighting, treating all defects in the paving layers, road planning, placing warning signs and indications, and all measures and procedures with the aim of raising the level of the road, enhancing traffic safety and reducing accidents. Alpha noted that the project contributes to reviving international transit traffic and facilitating the flow of goods and travelers with a number of neighboring countries, and to the Gulf states and Egypt.
Last August, the General Corporation for Road Transport announced the start of road rehabilitation procedures. The project includes the rehabilitation of a section approximately 100 kilometers long, with works related to asphalt layers, traffic safety, signals and lighting.
Last April, the Kuwait Joint Contracting Group (CGC) carried out survey and evaluation work on the road in both directions, using laser technologies and high-resolution cameras to produce three-dimensional models of the road surface, allowing the various defects to be accurately identified.
Jordanian King Abdullah II warned on Tuesday that Israel's "expansionist ambitions" under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had become a "regional threat," warning, in particular, of "repeated incursions and geographical expansion" in Syria.
In his speech before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the King noted that “the expansionist ambitions of this Israeli government have become a regional threat,” according to what was reported by the Royal Hashemite Court.
He warned of “repeated (Israeli) incursions and expanding geographical expansion” in Syria, where the Hebrew state has controlled, during the past months, additional areas of land in the south of the country.
He said, “There are repeated incursions, expanding geographical expansion, and new facts being imposed on the ground, including those affecting vital water sources,” and he promised that Israel is “testing to what extent it can continue.”
The Jordanian king stressed that “any threat to our northern borders or water security is a threat to our national security,” adding: “Jordan will not look away, but rather we will protect our security, our waters, and the interests of our people.”
Criticism of the international community
King Abdullah touched on the war in Gaza and the situation in the West Bank, criticizing the international community’s handling of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over the past decades. He said: “I have always stood before this General Assembly and warned of the dangers of leaving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict unresolved, but the international community chose to contain the conflict, rather than address its solution.”
He accused the Israeli government of continuing its attacks in Gaza and refusing to withdraw from them, saying that what is happening “can no longer be considered all of this as temporary military measures, or consequences of the war,” and described it as “an attempt to erase the Palestinian presence and impose a new reality in Gaza.”
In the West Bank, King Abdullah said that what is happening is “not a series of separate events,” but rather interconnected practices that “aim to force an entire people to leave their land,” adding: “There is a clear term to describe this policy: forced displacement, which is a war crime.”
At the conclusion of his speech, the Jordanian king affirmed his country’s adherence to “just peace,” and continued support for the Palestinians, UNRWA, and the Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, stressing that “military force” alone cannot build peace or address global crises.
