fraction of the roughly 5,000 per month that entered the
"Hundreds of hours of staff time and millions of dollars are spent on documenting each nut and bolt - as if we were supervising the transfer of highly specialized weapons, and despite the fact that steel, concrete and gravel enter Gaza quite freely via the tunnels," said Sari Bashi, Gisha's executive director. Coach outlet Kerem Shalom, the only full-time border crossing for goods, has increased its capacity and can accommodate 250 trucks daily, most of them carrying commercial products. But the problems with construction materials persist. A single conveyer belt at the Karni crossing is used for animal feed and concrete. It operates two days a week, creating shortages of both goods. Israel says it cannot operate the conveyer belt more often because of security problems. Overall, nearly 150 trucks carrying construction materials enter Gaza each month. Although that marks an increase from what was permitted before the May flotilla raid, it is a fraction of the roughly 5,000 per month that entered the territory when trade flowed freely. A deficit of schoolsCoach handbags In Rafah, at the dusty southern tip of the Gaza Strip, there are endless rows of what appear to be greenhouses. But behind the plastic sheeting of one, a steep dirt incline leads to an 800-meter tunnel to Egypt. Bags of aggregate - crushed rock used in the making of cement - are transported by a rudimentary pulley system, bagged and are waiting to be trucked to market. Hamas, with help from Islamic charities in the Persian Gulf, is using materials smuggled through these tunnels to build schools and houses. Yasser al Shanti, director of public works in the Hamas-led government in Gaza, said the cash-strapped group renovated 1,000 houses with the support of such charities. A school has been built in Rafah, and a major street in Gaza City has been repaired. Over the past two months, about half of the 925 trucks of supplies scheduled to enter Gaza for U.N. projects actually did, according to the U.N. relief agency, Gaza's largest outside donor. Since Israel's move in June to facilitate more international construction, the relief agency has completed two projects - a sewage pumping station and 151 housing units - which are just a fraction of the 10,000 units it seeks to build. Air Max 95 But Ging says his main concern is schools. Israel has approved six out of 100 the agency says it needs to build to accommodate 40,000 eligible children. "Overcrowded classrooms, tens of thousands of children failing academically, all of these things, they have long-term detrimental consequences," he said. "We don't have the luxury to deal with that after the peace process." Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot, coordinator of Israel's activities in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, said Israel is examining the agency's requests as quickly as it can and supports its efforts to establish schools. As for when Israel might eliminate restrictions on construction materials for the private sector, officials say they are considering it. "After a period of quiet from all the shooting . . . maybe it will start happening," said Guy Inbar, a spokesman for Dangot. "But not yet." Air Max 90