Officials discuss Gaza reconstruction at MEAD conference, current plans 'not progressing'
Figures presented at the conference showed that 1.2 million Palestinians had been displaced from their homes and 370,000 homes had been damaged or destroyed, including 70,000 that were damaged.
Four prominent officials gathered at the MEAD conference in Washington to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza. The figures presented highlighted the devastating impact of the conflict, with 1.2 million Palestinians displaced and 370,000 homes damaged or destroyed, including 70,000 partially damaged. The rebuilding process, according to officials, should extend beyond repairing damaged structures, encompassing educational efforts to tackle the anger, hatred, radicalism, and extremist ideology that have proliferated among the Gaza population.
Hamas, along with the US, Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, have agreed upon a plan to rebuild Gaza. This plan involves disarming Hamas. However, the initiative has been stalled due to widespread skepticism and a lack of trust among the parties involved. Conference participants explicitly stated that Hamas members are deceitful and unreliable, making it difficult to trust the commitments made during private discussions when public messages contradict them.
Despite their shared understanding of who initiated the war and the abduction and murder of Israeli civilians during the October 7 massacre, the international community continues to hold Israel accountable for the situation. The US-mediated plan outlined by the Board of Peace includes deploying 10,000 Palestinian police officers to Gaza, who would undergo vetting as part of the process. However, at the moment, this ambitious plan is described as "not progressing."
The conference also emphasized the need for other countries to support the Gaza reconstruction plan and alter their rhetoric and narratives. The objective is to facilitate Palestinians, through the Board of Peace, to steer away from their current path. Participants cautioned that without advancements in the Board of Peace-led process, both Palestinians and Israelis would confront detrimental alternatives, potentially leading to the resumption of the war.
With over one million people displaced and hundreds of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, the gravity of the situation was underscored by the MEAD conference participants.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
