UN brokers agreement to rebuild in Gaza Strip

Palestinian leaders have estimated the cost of reconstruction in Gaza at $7bn

(4.3bn)
17 Setember !"14
# deal has been a$reed b% &sraeli and Palestinian
officials to allo' buildin$ materials into the Gaza Stri for reconstruction( a to
)* official sa%s.
Robert Serry, special co-ordinator for the Middle East peace process, said the
alestinian !uthority "ould play a lead role in the reconstruction effort#
$e said it "as a step to"ards the aim of lifting all restrictions on Gaza#
More than %&&,&&& people "ere left homeless by the recent '&-day conflict bet"een
(srael and militants in Gaza#
)he UN says that *,%++ alestinians "ere also killed in the fighting, including %,,-.
belie/ed to ha/e been ci/ilians# 0n the (sraeli side, 11 soldiers and se/en ci/ilians
"ere killed#
+,ra$ile+ ceasefire
(srael launched a ma2or military operation in Gaza on - 3uly, "ith the stated aim of
stopping militants firing rockets and mortars at its territory#
4ollo"ing se/eral short-li/ed ceasefires, both sides agreed to an open-ended truce on
*1 !ugust "hich has so far held#
)he Egyptian-brokered deal called for an indefinite halt to hostilities, the immediate
opening of Gaza5s crossings "ith (srael and Egypt, and a "idening of the territory5s
Mediterranean fishing zone#
Mr Serry said an estimated %-,&&& houses "ere flattened or se/erely damaged in the
recent fighting
)he UN en/oy also "arned that the ceasefire in Gaza remained "orryingly fragile
0n )uesday, Mr Serry briefed the )* Securit% -ouncil on the situation on the
ground in the region and "arned that the ceasefire remained 6fragile6#
6)he crisis in Gaza is far from o/er and the "indo" of opportunity to address critical
needs and stabilise the situation is short,6 he said#
7arge areas of Gaza lay in total ruin, "ith an estimated %-,&&& homes destroyed or
se/erely damaged, along "ith %%% UN installations, many of them schools and
hospitals, he added#
Mr Serry announced that his office had brokered an agreement to enable large-scale
reconstruction, in/ol/ing the pri/ate sector in Gaza and gi/ing a 6lead role6 to the
alestinian !uthority, 6"hile pro/iding security assurances through UN monitoring that
these materials "ill not be di/erted from their entirely ci/ilian purpose6#
)he (sraeli go/ernment is "orried that they might be used to rebuild tunnels under
Gaza5s frontier from "hich attacks ha/e been launched#
Mr Serry added that the UN stood ready to pro/ide 6increased technical assistance6 to
the alestinian unity go/ernment, "hich "as formed in 3une by the 4atah mo/ement
of ! resident Mahmoud !bbas and $amas, the militant (slamist group that
dominates Gaza#
)he (sraeli go/ernment is "orried that they might be used to rebuild tunnels under
Gaza5s frontier from "hich attacks ha/e been launched#
Mr Serry added that the UN stood ready to pro/ide 6increased technical assistance6 to
the alestinian unity go/ernment, "hich "as formed in 3une by the 4atah mo/ement
of ! resident Mahmoud !bbas and $amas, the militant (slamist group that
dominates Gaza#
(srae
li is concerned that construction materials might be used by militants to rebuild tunnels
into (srael
Relations bet"een the t"o factions ha/e deteriorated and it is unclear "hether $amas
"ill be part of the unified alestinian delegation at the second phase of the ceasefire
talks in 8airo#
Mr Serry later told reporters that the ne" temporary reconstruction mechanism in
Gaza represented 6an important step, "hich ( hope "ill gi/e hope to the people in
Gaza, and an important step, "e hope, to"ards the full lifting of remaining closures in
Gaza6#
$e hoped it "ould also increase donor confidence ahead of an international
conference in Egypt on %* 0ctober# alestinian leaders ha/e estimated the cost of
reconstruction at 9:bn ;<,#+bn=#
(srael5s >efence Minister Moshe ?aalon said on )uesday that the number of lorries
allo"ed through the @erem Shalom crossing "ith Gaza "ould increase to +-& a day
from an a/erage of *'&#
)he (sraeli military also reported that a mortar shell fired from Gaza had landed in
southern (srael, the first since the ceasefire came into force#
Posted by Thavam