The Palestinian president will ask donor countries for $4 billion for Gaza reconstruction after a summer war between Israel and Hamas damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes and more than 5,000 businesses, according to a report Mahmoud Abbas is to present to a pledging conference this month.
According to the 72-page reconstruction report, obtained by The Associated Press late Thursday, the Palestinian government will request $4 billion in emergency relief and reconstruction funds. It will also ask donors to pledge an additional $4.5 billion in support for the Palestinian government’s budget through 2017.
The Gaza pledging conference will be held in Cairo on Oct. 12.
Meanwhile, Israel’s army chief said in comments published Friday that it would serve Israeli security interests to allow construction materials to enter blockaded Gaza.
Israel and Egypt have sharply restricted movement and trade in and out of Gaza since the Islamic militant Hamas seized the territory from Abbas in 2007.
Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz told the Haaretz daily that Hamas suffered military setbacks during the war, but that Israel can only secure long-term quiet on its border with Gaza if “an economic anchor backs up what was achieved in the fighting.”
“We need to permit the opening of the strip to goods,” Gantz was quoted as saying. “In the end, there are 1.8 million people there, with Israel and Egypt surrounding them. These people need to live.”
The Israel-Hamas war that ended in late August killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, three-fourth of them civilians, according to U.N. figures. Israel lost 66 soldiers and six civilians.
Hamas had ruled Gaza with an iron grip since it seized the coastal strip. However, earlier this year, the militant movement found itself in a severe financial crisis, largely because Egypt tightened its closure, shutting virtually all smuggling tunnels into Gaza and cutting off a key source of Hamas revenues.
The pressure eventually forced Hamas to hand over some powers to a temporary unity government of independent experts who report to Abbas and who are to oversee the reconstruction effort.
The reconstruction would also require Israel to permit the import of large quantities of cement, steel and other construction materials. Under a recent deal between Israel, the Abbas government and the United Nations, Israel would allow such imports, provided Palestinian and U.N. inspectors make sure they are not diverted by Hamas for military use.
