Egypt to Allocate $500 Million for the Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip

Gaza’s Rimal residential district on 16 May 2021. Credit: Mahmud Hams/AFP

The official spokesman of the Egyptian Presidential office announced that Egypt is allocating US$500 million to restore and rebuild the Gaza Strip, following the demolition of its buildings and sites from recent Israeli airstrikes.

According to the presidential statement on Tuesday, specialised Egyptian firms will also participate in the implementation phase of the reconstruction efforts.

Following this decision, the National Training Academy (NTA), an Egyptian economic public authority which provides training for future leaders, also announced it would grant five full scholarships to its Executive Presidential Leadership Programs (EPLP) for Palestinians to study in various fields such as management, technology and policy-making.

The NTA also announced it would provide online training to 200 Palestinians to pass on leadership and management skills.

Egypt’s most recent efforts to mediate between Israel and Palestine included President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s meeting with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on 18 May to discuss the prospects of attaining peace in the region and ending violence in Palestine.

In an attempt to resolve the current crisis, Egypt has taken steps to increase diplomatic efforts, calling for a ceasefire alongside other nations; it has also opened the Rafah border to receive injured Palestinians. Additionally, Egypt’s Red Crescent is raising donations to send medical supplies to Gaza which is seeing a shortage in its hospitals.

Due to continuous Israeli strikes since 7 May, some of the most violent in recent years, most buildings in the Gaza Strip have been demolished. The recent crisis has claimed the lives of 213 Palestinians, among them 61 children and 36 women, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported.