- There should be ‘no displacement outside the Gaza Strip’ during reconstruction process, says official
ISTANBUL
As Israel unveils controversial plans to permanently reoccupy Gaza, hopes for a ceasefire and meaningful progress on reconstruction have suffered a significant setback.
Following US President Donald Trump’s contentious proposal in February, widely condemned as a blueprint for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, Arab nations countered with an alternative plan in March.
Although their counterproposal gained broad support from Palestinians and the international community, progress has since stalled and Israel is continuing its war on Gaza after breaking a ceasefire in mid-March.
These developments, according to experts, underscore the critical point that Gaza’s future – and any hope for its reconstruction – depends entirely on political will.
“The first prerequisite is to have a sustainable political solution and stability in Gaza,” Mamoun Besaiso, an advisor to the UN on Gaza’s reconstruction, told Anadolu.
“Without a political solution, we don’t think we can start reconstruction, because after two or three years, another war will come, and the destruction will happen (again).”
David Prais, chair of the Greater London Investment Fund (GLIF), echoed Besaiso’s concerns. “It’s absolutely important the politicians take their part and get us a ceasefire,” he said.
“We really need permission from Israel to help the Palestinians … Really the thing standing in the way is the Israeli government.”
‘No displacement outside Gaza’
A joint assessment by the UN, EU, and the World Bank estimates that rebuilding Gaza will require more than $53 billion over the next decade, with $20 billion urgently needed within the first three years alone.
However, reconstruction faces major material shortages and logistical barriers, primarily due to Israeli restrictions on essential supplies.
Besaiso criticized the post-2014 Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism, which gives Israel control over shipments entering Gaza. “We are not allowed to bring a bag of cement into Gaza unless Israel approves that,” he said.
Rejecting Trump’s proposal as unacceptable, he reiterated that the Egypt-led plan has been widely supported by Arab and other nations.
“The Egyptian plan is the one that has been endorsed by all Arab countries and European countries,” Besaiso told Anadolu at the Gaza/Palestine Reconstruction and Development Conference organized in the Turkish city of Istanbul by the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF).
“It was acceptable because they made the assumption that the reconstruction will take place while people in Gaza remain in Gaza and will not be displaced at all,” he said.
Despite the extensive damage Israel has inflicted on Gaza’s infrastructure over the past 19 months, both Besaiso and Prais insist mass displacement is unnecessary and avoidable.
“Maybe we displace people from neighborhood to neighborhood, but no displacement outside Gaza Strip,” Besaiso reaffirmed.
The idea of mass displacement was also slammed by ICYF President Taha Ayhan: “Gaza and Palestine are owned by and belong to the Gazan people … They have a very existential right of living there … We have to, as humanity, help them to build their homes again … We have to help them have an independent Palestine state.”
‘We need to rebuild a new, better Gaza’
Addressing funding concerns, the UN advisor emphasized the urgency of the initial reconstruction phase. “We need only $20 billion to finish the first phase of reconstruction,” Besaiso said, expressing confidence that support from Arab and European donors could materialize.
Prais, however, warned that even the existing $53 billion estimate might be insufficient. He suggested the true cost of reconstructing Gaza could rise significantly, approaching $80 billion, a figure previously cited by the UN and other aid agencies.
“We don’t need to rebuild what was Gaza. We need to rebuild a new, better Gaza … one where people don’t feel like they’re in a prison … The big issue is making sure the money is spent wisely and on the right programs in the right order,” he said.
On the urgent need for better temporary housing, Prais said: “Pre-fabricated housing could be made in Türkiye … could be made in Egypt … to give people decent housing, not tents.”
He further emphasized the need for key infrastructure materials such as pipes, wiring, and clean water systems, and suggested ways such as recycling rubble to get around Israel’s crippling curbs.
“The Dutch … are willing to offer concrete recycling machines so the rubble can get reused again,” he explained.
Both experts concluded with a message of hope, stressing that political resolve and international coordination could lay the groundwork for Gaza’s recovery.
“We are hopeful that we start the reconstruction as early as possible,” Besaiso said.
