TUNIS, November 26. /TASS/. An international conference on rebuilding the Gaza Strip, scheduled to be hosted by Egypt in late November, has been postponed over the current situation in the Gaza Strip, the pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper wrote citing an Egyptian source.
According to him, "the conference will not be held on schedule, at the end of this month," and will be postponed to a later date.
"Many countries are requesting guarantees that the destruction of Gaza will not happen again. These guarantees have not yet been provided, and are unlikely to be provided at present in the light of the continuous escalation by Israel, and its repeated violations," the source said, speaking about reasons behind the delay.
The Arab League, which gathered for an emergency summit in Cairo in May, adopted a Gaza reconstruction plan that envisages step-by-step efforts without relocating the Palestinians. According to preliminary estimates, the reconstruction will cost at least $53 billion. Cairo also urged to hold an international conference in coordination with the UN in support of rebuilding the enclave as soon as hostilities there cease. In October, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reaffirmed his readiness to host the forum.
Israel and Hamas resumed Egypt-, Qatar-, United States-, and Turkey-mediated indirect talks on settling the situation in the Gaza Strip on October 6. On October 9, the parties to the conflict signed an agreement on the implementation of phase one of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan. The ceasefire came into effect on October 10.
In accordance with the plan, Israeli troops withdrew from the enclave’s central regions beyond the so-called yellow line, at the same time keeping over 50% of Gaza’s territory under their control.