The war on the Gaza Strip came to an end at the dawn of last May 21, after 11 days during which Israel systematically destroyed two thousand housing units in total, and 22 thousand partially destroyed units, in addition to massive destruction of the infrastructure.
The responsible authorities in the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), estimate the direct losses resulting from the war at about $500 million, in addition to indirect losses of hundreds of millions as a result of the damage to the economic, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors, the layoffs of thousands of workers, and the effects of the blockade. Extending over 15 years. Read also Ashtray: The Palestinian cause has regained its glow, and the rules for the reconstruction of Gaza will change Displacement to schools… the most difficult experience after the war on Gaza The United Nations appeals to the world to help the residents of Gaza, and Blinken talks about a mechanism to prevent reconstruction funds from reaching the Palestinian factions
the sounds of guns and air raids subsided, the discussion in the meantime focuses on the reconstruction of what was destroyed by the war, amid disagreements between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah regarding responsibility for this file.
National Committee for Reconstruction
Palestinian government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem says that Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh made a successful foreign tour that included Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, and made progress in terms of activating joint governmental committees looking into several issues, most notably the reconstruction of what was destroyed by the war.
Melhem speaks to Al Jazeera Net about a consensus that has been achieved with these countries, considering the Palestinian Authority is the main address through which the reconstruction funds pass, as “the government pays great attention to this file in order to speed up its completion and resettle those displaced by the war.”
In response to Hamas’ demands to form a national body to oversee the reconstruction file, Melhem says that there is a committee composed of the government and representatives of Hamas and other Palestinian factions that took over this file after the 2014 war, and this committee can complete its tasks with the participation of all.
However, Engineer Naji Sarhan, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing in Gaza (run by Hamas), says that the committee that Melhem spoke about is a “small office” for the technical follow-up of the Kuwaiti grant, and the representation of Gaza in it was just a “decoration” and without participation in the decision.
Sarhan, in his interview with Al Jazeera Net, accuses the Authority of dealing with Gaza in the manner of “gentlemen and slaves”, which is “a rejected method.” Is he talking to us for mutual understanding?”
Melhem replies that “the government is not in competition with any Palestinian party or faction, nor is it concerned with excluding anyone. Rather, it is keen on the unity of the position in all files, similar to the unity of the position embodied during the aggression.”
United Nations Mechanism
Melhem agrees with Hamas and several Palestinian parties in their rejection of the United Nations Mechanism for the Reconstruction of Gaza after the 2014 war, which was very slow and gave Israel a free hand to control it in terms of monitoring and determining the quantities of construction materials.
Shtayyeh had announced in an interview with Al-Jazeera during his visit to the Qatari capital, Doha, last week, the authority’s refusal to deal with this mechanism, which he described as “sterile and useless”, and said that it “is suitable for monitoring a nuclear reactor and not for the reconstruction of Gaza.”
Melhem says that the Palestinian ministerial delegation, which is visiting Cairo on Sunday, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr, will discuss with Egyptian officials the most appropriate mechanism for reconstruction.
Sarhan Shtayyeh shared the opinion that the previous mechanism was futile, but he says that the prime minister’s position came late, and criticized the authority’s approval from the beginning on it and causing disruption to the reconstruction process, whether as a result of the occupation policy or the failure to make appropriate efforts to remind donors of their pledges at the Cairo Conference after the 2014 war.
According to Sarhan, 1,700 housing units have not been reconstructed since 2014 due to this mechanism, which the occupation has dealt with temperamentally, adding to the 600 million dollars in accumulated losses caused by previous Israeli wars and aggressions.
Donors had pledged at the time more than $5 billion, half of which were allocated for reconstruction, and the other half to support the PA’s budget. According to Sarhan, the amount that reached Gaza from these funds does not exceed 800 million dollars.
Dialogue and reconstruction
About the impact of the failure of the national dialogue, which was scheduled to start in Cairo yesterday, Saturday, on the reconstruction file, Melhem says, “No stumbling block should have a negative impact on people’s lives,” adding that “the reconstruction process must continue despite all circumstances.” He believes that “the difference in visions between the factions should not hinder reconstruction, and what is not achieved through dialogue will be achieved through further dialogue in order to reach consensus and achieve national unity.”
However, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Works in Gaza says that “there is no communication with the authority regarding the reconstruction file”, but at the same time he does not believe that the failure of the Cairo dialogue will affect the course of reconstruction.
Sarhan explains that donor countries work in several ways in the reconstruction file, there are funds supervised by the United Nations, and others are pumped through consulates and representations, such as projects implemented by the country committee and it has a permanent headquarters in Gaza, while some donors require that their projects pass through the Palestinian Authority in Ram God.
