Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has emphasized the urgent need to secure funding for the “$53 billion Arab Reconstruction Plan for Gaza” during a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
This discussion occurred on the sidelines of the preparatory ministerial meeting for the 34th Arab Summit in Baghdad.
Abdelatty stressed the critical importance of mobilizing financial support at both regional and international levels amidst Israel’s ongoing actions in Gaza.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that Abdelatty also highlighted the necessity of resuming the ceasefire and completely lifting the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, they discussed the latest developments concerning the “International Conference for Early Recovery and Reconstruction of Gaza,” which Egypt intends to host as soon as the current Israeli conflict concludes.
This conference had been initially planned for April but was postponed following the breakdown of the ceasefire and Israel’s renewed attacks on Gaza on March 18.
Abdelatty specifically underscored “the importance of mobilizing the necessary funding to implement the Arab Reconstruction Plan at both regional and international levels.”
The $53 billion reconstruction plan, adopted on March 4 at an emergency Arab summit in Cairo, aims to rebuild Gaza without displacing its Palestinian residents.
This Arab proposal directly countered a previous plan by then-US President Donald Trump, which was widely rejected as amounting to ethnic cleansing.
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip has resulted in the tragic deaths of over 53,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Additionally, Israel is currently facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the Gaza enclave.