A donor’s conference co-hosted by Egypt and Norway has raised $US 5.4 billion to rebuild the Gaza Strip. The United States announced on Sunday it will provide the largely destroyed Gaza strip with $212 million worth of aid, being the first donor to announce its contribution during the Gaza reconstruction conference. Both Turkey and the United Arab Emirates pledged $US 200 million each, while Qatar pledged $US 1 billion. The European Union pledged $US$ 568 million. The conference is co-hosted by Egypt and Norway in Cairo to raise funds for the strip’s reconstruction, after the 50-day Israeli offensive against the strip which started on July 8, destroying most of its infrastructure. Thirty foreign ministers, 50 delegations, and 20 representatives of regional and international institutions, such as the United Nations, the IMF, and the World Bank, were scheduled to attend the conference. Addressing the attendees of the conference, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry described the humanitarian challenges faced by Gaza as “enormous”. Kerry said that Gaza’s needs go beyond “just reconstruction” and “recovery”, adding that the strip needs building for the long term and developing institutions under the Palestinian authorities….
