European Diplomats Visit Gaza to Assess Reconstruction Needs

A Palestinian man is seen at his destroyed house after an Israeli raid on Gaza. (Reuters)
A Palestinian man is seen at his destroyed house after an Israeli raid on Gaza. (Reuters)
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European Diplomats Visit Gaza to Assess Reconstruction Needs

A Palestinian man is seen at his destroyed house after an Israeli raid on Gaza. (Reuters)
A Palestinian man is seen at his destroyed house after an Israeli raid on Gaza. (Reuters)

A high-ranking European delegation of 20 ambassadors visited Gaza to assess the humanitarian situation and construction needs.

It is the first visit by a European diplomatic delegation to the coastal enclave since the last wave of tensions between Palestinian factions and Israel in May.

The delegation toured destroyed houses and listened to testimonies of families. They included the Nabaheen family, consisting of more than 100 people, nine of whom have special needs.

EU Representative in Palestine Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff said the visit aims to express solidarity with the victims of the recent war in Gaza.

"The European missions' representatives expressed their condolences to the victims of the tension, and it became clear from our information that the victims were mainly civilians," he added.

The European delegation "looks forward to completing a report explaining what happened."

Von Burgsdorff renewed the EU position that calls for consolidating ceasefire understandings in Gaza and implementing the two-state solution to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Meanwhile, representatives of families whose homes were destroyed in the recent round of tension with Israel called on the European diplomats to actively contribute to accelerating the reconstruction of their homes.

The recent Israeli attacks killed 33 Palestinians, including five children, three women, and 11 members of the Islamic Jihad group.

According to Palestinian officials, the raids displaced 200 families, or around 1,000 people. The attacks destroyed 103 housing units and over 2,800 were partially demolished, while 150 were uninhabitable.



Turkish, US, Syrian Top Diplomats to Weigh Details of Syria’s Release from US Sanctions

People celebrate in Damascus' Umayyad square after US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions in Syria, on May 13, 2025. (AFP)
People celebrate in Damascus' Umayyad square after US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions in Syria, on May 13, 2025. (AFP)
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Turkish, US, Syrian Top Diplomats to Weigh Details of Syria’s Release from US Sanctions

People celebrate in Damascus' Umayyad square after US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions in Syria, on May 13, 2025. (AFP)
People celebrate in Damascus' Umayyad square after US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions in Syria, on May 13, 2025. (AFP)

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, the United States and Syria will meet in southern Türkiye on Thursday to discuss details of US President Donald Trump's pledge to lift sanctions on Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday.

In a surprise announcement, Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria at the behest of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It was a major US policy shift ahead of his meeting on Wednesday with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the crown prince, and Erdogan, who joined virtually.

Erdogan has repeatedly urged Trump to rescind the US sanctions on Syria since the president returned to the White House in January.

Speaking to state broadcaster TRT Haber ahead of an informal NATO foreign ministers' meeting in the southern Turkish province of Antalya, Fidan said the leaders' meeting on Wednesday was of "historic importance".

He said the lifting of sanctions would enable financial flows, investment and infrastructure development in Syria, which was politically fractured and left in widespread ruins by the war.

"Now tomorrow, we, as the three foreign ministers - Mr. Rubio, Mr. Al-Shaibani, and myself - will come together after the NATO meeting in Antalya and we will work on how to carry forward the details of the agreement that the leaders set the framework for and agreed upon," Fidan said, referring to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

"Of course, there is a (congressional) leg to this matter in the United States, there is an administration leg, but there is a will that Mr. Trump has put forth from the start. Within the framework of this will, and the work we will do, we hope the majority of these sanctions will be lifted as soon as possible."

Removing US sanctions that cut Syria off from the global financial system will clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organizations working in Syria, easing foreign investment and trade as the country rebuilds.