GAZA — Green Rock, a project led by Suleiman Abu Hassanin, has begun producing interlocking bricks from the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza for use in reconstruction. The initiative operates out of a makeshift workshop that was rebuilt after being damaged by Israeli air strikes, where broken concrete is processed into building blocks.

The Green Rock process involves crushing and sorting rubble, mixing it with local soil and alternative binding materials developed inside Gaza, then compressing the mixture into blocks using a hand-built machine. The resulting bricks can be assembled without traditional mortar, reducing reliance on cement. Under normal conditions, this type of brick requires around 7 to 12 percent cement, but the team developed a version using locally available replacement materials because of restricted access to construction supplies.

"We were facing a simple equation: destruction without solutions. So we tried to turn it into a resource." Abu Hassanin said.

Engineer Wajdi Jouda helped define the bricks' size and structure to meet engineering standards and connected the team with technical expertise from outside Gaza. Early tests show the bricks provide better thermal and sound insulation than the tents many displaced families currently live in. The project remains experimental and has not been tested at the scale required for long-term reconstruction.

Current production ranges between 1,000 and 1,500 bricks per day, a rate theoretically sufficient to build a small shelter in roughly two weeks. The project reduces construction costs by roughly 50 to 60 percent and creates work opportunities for displaced people involved in collecting, sorting, and producing materials.

"In that moment, he is no longer just a recipient of aid, but part of the solution," he said of those taking part in the work. Funding remains the main obstacle preventing the project from moving more quickly toward implementation, according to Abu Hassanin.

Rebuilding entire neighborhoods would still require infrastructure, machinery, and material access at a much larger scale. Without heavy machinery, and with repeated power outages and damaged infrastructure, transporting and crushing rubble is labor intensive.

For years, the Israeli blockade has restricted the entry of cement, steel, and other building materials into Gaza, slowing reconstruction across the enclave. After nearly two years of intensified bombardment, Gaza contains more than 60 million tons of rubble, according to UN estimates. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people continue to live in tents with little protection from heat or winter chill and no clear prospect for reconstruction. Similar interlocking brick systems have been used in parts of Europe and in post-conflict settings such as Sudan and Iraq.