Officials call for money to rebuild Gaza, but say donors wary of Hamas rule

The United Nations and the Palestinian government called Tuesday for international donors to provide over $550 million in aid to help hundreds of thousands of Gazans affected by the summer’s war with Israel.

But the deputy Palestinian prime minister warned international donors were hesitant to fund the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip so long as Hamas remains in control there and the specter of future wars looms.

The appeal came two weeks after Israel and Hamas ended 50 days of bloodshed that killed more than 2,100 people according to Gaza medical sources, and a month ahead of a donors’ conference in Cairo. Hamas says most of the dead are civilians, while Israel says half were fighters, many of them operating in populated areas.

Mohammed Mustafa, a top official in the West Bank Palestinian Authority, said international bodies are eager for President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah forces to take on a leading role in Gaza in the wake of the 50-day war calling for $551 million for food aid, access to clean water, healthcare and education.

With Hamas still committed to Israel’s destruction and with an arsenal of rockets still at its disposal, though, the donors are wary of rebuilding, Mustafa said. This summer’s war was the third in less than six years.

“Some donors say why sponsor Israeli wars in Gaza every two years,” Mustafa said. “Some donor countries are concerned because of the atmosphere on the ground … because the reconstruction is not possible without enabling the (Palestinian) government to take the lead in all aspect of life in Gaza.”

James Rawley, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, outlined the humanitarian needs for post-war Gaza along with Mustafa.

“The scope of damage and devastation is unprecedented in the Gaza Strip,” Rawley said in a statement. “The crisis is far from over.”

“We challenge the world to be ambitious and daring in helping us realize recovery, reconstruction and a better future for Gaza,” Mustafa said.

“An immediate measure is to end the blockade on Gaza and ensure our people never again experience the horrors of this summer,” he said.

Rawley echoed calls for a “full lifting of the blockade.”

Israel agreed to ease restrictions on goods entering Gaza under a truce deal reached with Hamas on August 26.

But restrictions remain on building materials, which are crucial for reconstructing the Strip, where thousands of buildings and dwellings were damaged or destroyed by IDF fire during the conflict. Israel says steel and concrete will be used by Gaza terror groups to make weapons and build tunnels for attacking Israel, as happened in the past.

Israel and Egypt have both placed tight restrictions on their borders with Gaza, with only some in the Strip allowed to enter and exit, mostly for humanitarian reasons such as emergency medical care.

The UN has predicted that more than 100,000 people are to remain homeless in the long term.

Israel says it killed nearly 1,000 fighters from Hamas and other terror groups.

On the Israeli side, 66 soldiers and six civilians were killed.