Finance Minister Emphasizes the Need to Accelerate the Recovery and Reconstruction Phase in Gaza at International Meeting

SadaNews - Dr. Estephan Salama, the Minister of Finance and Planning, emphasized the necessity to hasten the initiation of the transitional phase in the Gaza Strip, as per United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 2803 (2025) issued on November 17, 2025. This aims to pave the way for the State of Palestine to assume full responsibility in the region after the expiration of the temporary arrangements, thereby allowing the early recovery process and reconstruction to begin without delay.

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This was stated during his participation - via video - in a workshop called by German Minister for Development and International Cooperation, Rem Alabali, and the Minister Delegate for Francophonie and International Partnerships, Éléonore Carrau, with the participation of Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty and representatives from Norway, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, the World Bank, and the United Nations. The workshop took place alongside the spring meetings organized by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C.

Salama stressed that the first six months following the announcement of the ceasefire agreement witnessed no change in the humanitarian reality in the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian aid remains scarce, and the recovery process has yet to begin, which exacerbates risks and increases the suffering of civilians, particularly vulnerable groups including women, children, the elderly, and the sick.

Participants in the workshop warned that the current situation in the Gaza Strip threatens a return to square one, posing a risk to the sustainability of the ceasefire. They confirmed that the National Committee for the Management of the Gaza Strip will assume management under a temporary arrangement, followed by the return of the Palestinian Authority after Israel completely withdraws from Gaza.

The participating parties emphasized the importance of strengthening the Palestinian Authority to enable it to fulfill its responsibilities towards its citizens in East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank. This includes the urgent need for Israel to release the Palestinian tax revenues that have been withheld for nearly a year, in addition to a series of previous Israeli deductions amounting to a total of over 15 billion shekels.