2026-02-26 07:42
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2026-02-26 07:42
The United Arab Emirates will finance the construction of a settlement for displaced Palestinians in the part of the Gaza Strip controlled by Israel, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The project is intended to signal the start of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip without waiting for the Israeli military to withdraw from it.
Near Rafah, on the border with Egypt, a construction company from the Gaza Strip is to build a housing estate on an area of approximately 30 hectares that will provide accommodation for several dozen thousand people in prefabricated housing containers placed on several floors.
Work on the ground has not yet begun, partly because Israel has not yet approved construction plans.
Palestinian analyst Reham Owda told Reuters that hiring a Palestinian company could be a way to reduce local hostility towards the project. However, it is unclear whether many Palestinians will agree to live or work in the Israeli-controlled area of the Gaza Strip.
Since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October, Israel has maintained control over more than half of Palestinian territory, where it has demolished many buildings and built military fortifications. More than 2 million Gaza residents currently live in the remaining small area along the coast controlled by Hamas, mostly in makeshift tents and damaged buildings.
The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, starting in Rafah, is a key part of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war, but other important steps, including the disarmament of Hamas and an Israeli withdrawal, are still to be agreed.
Trump's plan is managed by the Peace Council, composed of international politicians, and a Palestinian technocratic body that is to take over the Gaza Strip from Hamas.
The United Arab Emirates pledged $1.2 billion in aid to the Gaza Strip during the Peace Council conference last week.
Following the normalization of relations in 2020, Abu Dhabi maintains close relations with Israel. Since the war broke out in October 2023, the UAE has provided almost $3 billion in support and is one of the largest donors to the Gaza Strip. (PAP)
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