Board of Peace Unveils $2.4bn Gaza Reconstruction Plan Amid Ongoing Israeli Attacks

The United States-backed Board of Peace has unveiled a $2.4bn recovery plan to kickstart reconstruction in the Gaza Strip at the United Nations, even as ongoing Israeli attacks left seven Palestinians dead across the enclave. The initiative, proposed during a meeting of the group's board on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, outlines a 66-project blueprint aimed at addressing the severe damage in the region.

According to the Board of Peace plan, the comprehensive cost of rebuilding Gaza is projected to reach approximately $35bn in the medium term, with an additional $71.4bn needed over the next 10 years. Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative for the Board of Peace, stated that the success of the proposed plan relies heavily on Hamas’s disarmament. Previously, in July, Hamas and other Palestinian factions agreed to a document outlining their disarmament in Gaza, which United States President Donald Trump hailed as a monumental step toward peace and security.

"I want to be very clear that we are not bound by a calendar," Mladenov remarked. "We want to make sure that this works." Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey, reporting from the news conference in New York, noted that little progress has been achieved on the ground, emphasizing the daunting task ahead for experts involved in the meeting. Although the international community endorsed efforts to ease conditions in July, recovery has stalled because Israel has reportedly failed to fulfill its commitment to withdraw ground troops.

Meanwhile, continued Israeli attacks have further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. An Israeli drone strike targeting a vehicle in the al-Mawasi area, near Khan Younis, killed two individuals identified by medics as Osama Abu Khater and Mohammad Abu Elwan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the strike successfully eliminated a senior Hamas finance official.

Further violence included an aerial attack on a vehicle in Deir el-Balah, which killed at least two Palestinians, and an additional strike in Gaza City that resulted in at least one more death. In addition, a man and a woman succumbed to wounds from earlier Israeli gunfire, while an infant and an elderly woman sustained injuries in separate incidents in Khan Younis. Ibrahim Al Khalili, reporting for Al Jazeera from Gaza City, described the situation as deteriorating rapidly near displacement camps where hundreds of thousands had sought safety.

The ongoing violations by Israel in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have also triggered sharp diplomatic rebukes from world leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly. Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, and Canada criticized Israel's settlement policies for obstructing a two-state solution. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned the actions in the enclave, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed his nation's support for the Gaza ceasefire agreement and insisted that reconstruction must commence immediately.