More than half the Israelis who were evacuated from the Gush Katif settlement bloc in Gaza under the 2005 Disengagement Plan still do not have permanent homes. According to a new report that marks seven years since the disengagement published by the Friends of Gush Katif organization, which represents the roughly 8,000 members of the now-defunct communities, a disproportionate number of evacuees suffer from financial hardships and unemployment. The report found that 36 percent of the former residents were still in the process of building permanent homes and 29 percent had not yet started construction of their new homes. According to the report, only about 35% of the residents, around 500 families, had settled in new, permanent locations, with the rest either struggling with red tape or still in the process of building homes. About 200 families are in severe financial difficulties and cannot afford to build homes. When the Israeli government carried out the Disengagement Plan in 2005, it provided the residents with pre-fabricated homes in dedicated communities near the Gaza Strip. In 2010, a government-appointed panel criticized the various state authorities for failing to properly address the evacuees needs. Last year, the residents and the government signed an agreement that ended all claims for compensation in return for additional state support for the residents. While unemployment among the evacuated residents has dropped since immediately after their relocation, it is still much higher than the national average and the levels prior to the relocation (16 percent today compared with 4 percent prior to the disengagement). In the wake of the evacuation, around 30 percent of the residents were out of work. Those aged above 55 have found it particularly hard to find new jobs, and most who were hired do not receive the same benefits they enjoyed when they lived in Gaza. Those who worked in agriculture have been hit hard due to the loss of their land.
