Islam Times - Gaza industrial sector hit hard as 134 factories destroyed

Islam Times - At least 134 factories were destroyed during Israel's four-week military offensive in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian industrial union said Wednesday, causing severe damage to an already fragile industrial sector.

The union of Palestinian industries said that most factories stopped operations for over 30 days, with reported losses of at least $70 million.

Over 30,000 workers were made redundant due to the closures.

"The Israeli war machine deliberately destroyed the infrastructure of the Palestinian national economy by targeting factories which posed no security threat to the occupation," the union said.

The industrial sector had already suffered major damage during previous Israeli military offenses in Gaza in 2012 and 2008.

The ongoing Israeli blockade has also severely limited the productivity of the industrial sector since it was imposed eight years ago, forcing factories to close or fire workers to remain in operation.

"Israel shouldn't be rewarded for this aggression, and so Israeli products should be boycotted both locally and internationally," the union added.

Deputy PA economy minister Taysir Amro said the 29-day war had caused total damage of up to $6 billion dollars.