Cairo conference on Gaza reconstruction postponed

A Gaza reconstruction conference in Cairo planned for November has been postponed amid escalating violence in the enclave and the West Bank, fueling uncertainty for parties looking to advance to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.

Various Egyptian media outlets and official sources had earlier reported that a Gaza recovery and reconstruction conference would be held in Egypt in November. At the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly confirmed in his speech on Saturday his country's readiness to host the event, but made no mention of the conference date.

Arabic outlet Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Wednesday that the Cairo conference would not be held on time because of the current escalation in Gaza, citing an Egyptian source.

The source was quoted as saying 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".

While Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the truce, the United Nations and various media outlets have reported Israeli strikes in recent weeks killing civilians, including children.

The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed launching attacks from their end on alleged terrorists for breaching the "yellow line" and posing a threat to IDF troops, while alleging that Hamas fighters are emerging from underground tunnels.

The Israeli Prime Minister's office also said Hamas "is required to uphold its commitments to the mediators and return the fallen hostages as part of the implementation of the agreement". It said Israel "will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the fallen hostages, every last one of them". So far, Hamas has delivered all but the remains of only two Israeli captives unknown among the bombed Gaza debris.

In his latest appeal for the ceasefire to hold and for parties to seize the diplomatic momentum made at the UN Security Council last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a special meeting commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and on his X account that the October agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza "offers glimmers of hope and the adoption of the Security Council resolution on Gaza is an important step in its consolidation".

"It is essential to translate this diplomatic momentum into concrete and urgently needed progress on the ground," he said.

Economic crisis

The postponement of the Egypt-hosted meeting comes as a new UN report said the occupied Palestinian Territory is now in its deepest economic crisis ever recorded, wiping out"69 years of human development".

According to the highlights of the report, the Gaza economic crisis is among the 10 worst globally since 1960.

"The estimated cost of reconstruction and recovery in Gaza exceeds $70 billion, underscoring the magnitude of investment required to rebuild infrastructure and restore livelihoods," it said.

Omer Behram Ozdemir, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Ibn Haldun University in Turkiye, told China Daily that the "slow and disrupted pace of negotiations that led to a ceasefire in Gaza prolonged the conflict and further damaged Gaza's infrastructure".

He said the city's siege, the destruction of its infrastructure, and the impact of an all-out attack on merchants and businesses meant that Gaza's commercial potential was eroded. Following a final peace in Gaza, he said, significant funding will be required for its reconstruction.

"In this regard, the Gulf countries and Egypt, in particular, have a responsibility to reach out to Gaza. Otherwise, simply rebuilding the destroyed city will be insufficient to restore normalcy to Gaza," said Ozdemir.