Egypt postpones Cairo conference on Gaza reconstruction

The Cairo conference on early recovery and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, which had been scheduled for the end of November, “will not be held on time and will be postponed.”

A well-informed Egyptian source told Asharq Al-Awsat on November 25 that the decision stems from the current escalation in the enclave and Cairo’s intention to ensure more favourable conditions on the ground for achieving the conference’s objectives, Caliber.Az reports.

“The conference will not take place at the end of the month as planned, and I believe it will be delayed slightly, especially since there is a parallel effort underway. It is clear that the United States intends to undertake something of its own on this issue in Rafah,” the source said, referring to what is known as the green zone in areas under Israeli control inside the enclave.

He emphasised that “Egypt is a major state and capable of carrying out these tasks, however, it needs the right timing to secure a positive and tangible outcome for our Palestinian brothers.”

Elaborating on the reasons for the delay, the source explained that “many countries are requesting guarantees that destruction in Gaza will not be repeated. These guarantees have not yet been secured and will not be available at this stage given the ongoing Israeli escalation and repeated violations.”

Since November 19, the ceasefire in Gaza has experienced a “setback,” the most serious of which occurred on November 22, when at least 21 people were killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Civil Defence in the enclave, after Israel accused Hamas of “violating the ceasefire agreement that entered into force on October 10.”

The extraordinary Arab summit held in Cairo on March 4 endorsed a “plan for the reconstruction and development of the Gaza Strip,” designed to enable early recovery and rebuilding without the displacement of Palestinians, structured in specific phases over a period of up to five years with an estimated cost of $53 billion.

Cairo also called for an international conference to support Gaza’s reconstruction efforts in coordination with the United Nations.

By Jeyhun Aghazada