Rebuilding Gaza: Donors meet at Cairo conference

 

 The war in Gaza destroyed an estimated 18,000 homes and more than 100 schools

The Palestinian and Egyptian presidents have called on Israel to commit to a peace initiative with Palestinians at a conference aimed at rebuilding Gaza.

Diplomats are meeting in Egypt to discuss aid required to rebuild following the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas.

At least 100,000 Gazans lost their homes in the war and much of the territory's infrastructure was damaged.
The Palestinian Authority is appealing for $4bn (£2.5bn) to rebuild Gaza.
However, donors are concerned that another war could erupt in the future, undermining any reconstruction efforts.
The seven-week conflict, which ended in a truce on 26 August, killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, along with 66 Israeli soldiers and seven civilians in Israel.
Correspondents say some neighbourhoods in Gaza resembled earthquake zones following intense bombardment from Israel during the war. The Israeli air strikes had sought to halt rocket-fire from Gaza.

The Palestinian Authority says it needs $4bn for reconstruction efforts in Gaza

Envoys from dozens of countries are attending Sunday's Cairo conference. Gulf and European countries, as well as the US, are expected to pledge funds for Gaza's reconstruction.
However, US officials stressed the need to break the cycle of conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants, adding that many donors were concerned there would be more fighting.
The EU envoy to the Palestinian territories, John Gatt-Rutter, told AFP news agency that the "only durable solution to Gaza is of course a political agreement between Palestinians and Israelis".
Contentious issue The two sides have fought three wars in six years.
Rebuilding depends on Israel allowing in enough construction materials, the BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo reports.
This is a contentious issue because Hamas has used cement to build tunnels into Israeli territory in the past, our correspondent adds.

Rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel during the recent conflict. The two sides have fought three wars in six years

The Gaza Strip, sandwiched between Israel and Egypt, has been a recurring flashpoint in the Israel-Palestinian conflict for years.
Israel occupied Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war and pulled its troops and settlers out in 2005. Israel considered this the end of the occupation, but it still exercises control over most of Gaza's borders, waters and airspace. Egypt controls Gaza's southern border.