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SvennoJ 4 days ago
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What’s in the Egyptian plan for Gaza reconstruction?

As we’ve been reporting, an emergency Arab summit on Gaza reconstruction has adopted a plan proposed by Egypt.

Here’s what you need to know about the plan, based on Al Jazeera’s own reporting, as well as drafts of the plan reported on by the Reuters news agency and the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram:

  • The first stage would last about six months while the next two phases would take place over a combined four to five years.
  • A six-month interim period would require a committee of Palestinian technocrats – operating under the management of the PA  – to clear the rubble from Salah al-Din Street, which is the main north-south highway in the Gaza Strip.
  • Once the roads are clear, 200,000 temporary housing units would be built to accommodate 1.2 million people and about 60,000 damaged buildings restored.
  • According to the blueprint, longer-term reconstruction requires an additional four to five years after the interim measures are completed. Over that span, the plan aims to build at least 400,000 permanent homes, as well as rebuilding Gaza’s seaport and international airport.
  • Gradually, basic provisions such as water, a waste system, telecommunication services and electricity would also be restored.
  • In addition, conferences will be held for international donors to provide the necessary funding for reconstruction and long-term development in the Strip.


The plan, proposed by Egypt, has called for political changes in the Strip to accompany reconstruction.

  • The plan calls for a group of “independent Palestinian technocrats” to manage affairs in Gaza, in effect replacing Hamas.
  • The technocratic government would be responsible for overseeing humanitarian aid and paving the way for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to administer Gaza, according to Egyptian President el-Sisi.
  • Hamas, in a response to the plan, issued a short while ago, expressed support for what it said was a call for legislative and presidential elections.
  • On the security front, Egypt and Jordan have both pledged to train Palestinian police officers and deploy them to Gaza. The two countries have also called on the United Nations Security Council to consider authorising a peacekeeping mission to oversee governance in Gaza until reconstruction is complete.


How much will the Gaza reconstruction plan cost?

As we already reported, the plan for post-war Gaza adopted by the emergency Arab summit today will cost $53bn, without details yet on where it will come from.

Here are some more details on the cost of rebuilding the Gaza Strip:

  • The money will be distributed over three phases.
  • In the first six-month phase, it would cost $3bn to clear rubble from Salah al-Din Street, construct temporary housing, and restore partially damaged homes.
  • The second phase would take two years and cost $20bn. The work of rubble removal would continue in this phase, as well as the establishment of utility networks and the building of more housing units.
  • Phase three would cost $30bn and take two and a half years. It would include completing housing for Gaza’s whole population, establishing the first phase of an industrial zone, building fishing and commercial ports, and building an airport, among other services.
  • According to the plan, the money will be sourced from a variety of international sources including the United Nations and international financial organisations as well as foreign and private sector investments.