As efforts ramp up to plan for the reconstruction of war-torn Gaza at the end of a grueling two-year war, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told The Associated Press that 15 Palestinian technocrats have been selected to administer postwar Gaza.
He said their names were already vetted by Israel, without disclosing them.
“We need to deploy them to take care of the daily life of the people in Gaza, and the Board of Peace should support and supervise the flow of finance and money, which will come for the reconstruction of Gaza,” he said, referring to a board that would govern Gaza and be chaired by US President Donald Trump.
Abdelatty said on Monday, ahead of a global summit on Gaza’s future held in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, that the 15-member committee had already been approved by all Palestinian factions, including Hamas.
He said Hamas members welcomed Trump’s plan. They “have no role in the transitional period. They are committed to that. That is why they are working on an administrative Palestinian committee to be deployed in order to take care of the daily life of the people of Gaza,” Abdelatty claimed.
For its part, Israel has to comply with a withdrawal from Gaza, allowing a flow of aid and the deployment of the administrative committee on the ground to ensure security for civilians, Abdelatty said. Hamas also must honor its commitments, he said.
Meanwhile, a UN official said Tuesday that European and Arab nations, Canada, and the US appear willing to contribute to the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild Gaza.
Jaco Cilliers, an official at the United Nations Development Program, said the war started by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, terror onslaught against Israel had generated at least 55 million tons of rubble and that it could take decades for Gaza to fully recover.
“We’ve heard very positive news from a number of our partners, including European partners [and]… Canada,” regarding their willingness to help, he told a press conference, adding that there were also discussions with the United States.
Since a ceasefire deal came into effect in Gaza, large numbers of Palestinians have returned to the ruins of their homes in the coastal territory.
Huge swaths of Gaza have been reduced to a wasteland by Israeli bombardment over two years, with UNDP saying it had already cleared some 81,000 tons of rubble from the Gaza Strip and was continuing to do so.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he will seek Gulf, US and European support for the reconstruction of Gaza under the new ceasefire deal, and he believed project financing will be provided swiftly.
Speaking to reporters on a return flight from Sharm el-Sheikh, Erdogan claimed that Israel’s “poor” track record of abiding by ceasefires means the US and others must vigilantly enforce it.
“I believe the significant financial support will be swiftly provided” for rebuilding projects developed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League, Erdogan said, according to a transcript shared by his office on Tuesday.
“We are seeking support from Gulf countries, the US, and European nations,” he added. “The initial impressions are promising.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who also attended the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, pledged the governing body’s support to rebuild soccer infrastructure in Gaza as part of wider postwar reconstruction efforts.
“It’s something that is really important for FIFA to be here to support, to help, to assist, to make sure that this peace process comes to fruition,” Infantino said Tuesday after the signing of a document outlining plans for regional stability and reconstruction.
The FIFA president said his organization would help restore soccer in Gaza and the wider Palestinian territories, including rebuilding facilities destroyed during the war in Gaza, and launching a fund to support new pitches and youth programs.
“Football’s role has to be to support, to unite, to give hope,” he said. “We will help to rebuild all the football facilities in Gaza, bring football back together with the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), and create opportunities for children through the game.”
Infantino added that FIFA would contribute with mini-pitches and “FIFA Arenas” and invite other partners to join the effort, saying “soccer brings hope to children, and it’s very, very important.”