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Palestinian Authority Considers Reconstruction a Matter of Sovereignty

Gaza fishermen protest Israeli decision to reduce the fishing area (AFP)
Gaza fishermen protest Israeli decision to reduce the fishing area (AFP)
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Palestinian Authority Considers Reconstruction a Matter of Sovereignty

Gaza fishermen protest Israeli decision to reduce the fishing area (AFP)
Gaza fishermen protest Israeli decision to reduce the fishing area (AFP)

The Palestinian Authority (PA) insists on handling the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, rejecting any attempts to undermine it, according to well-informed Palestinian sources.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the PA is unsatisfied with how Gaza’s reconstruction is being handled, warning that there are steps that can be understood as encouraging the parties to move forward with the issue of separation.

A ministerial delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr, flew to Cairo to discuss the reconstruction process.

The delegation includes Minister of Economy Khaled Ossaili, Minister of Public Works and Housing Mohammad Zyara, Minister of Agriculture Riyad Atari, Minister of Local Government Majdi al-Saleh, Undersecretary in the Civil Affairs Authority Ayman Qandil, and advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office, Isstifan Salameh.

The delegation is set to meet with a number of Egyptian officials dealing with Gaza’s reconstruction.

Disagreements emerged after Egypt adopted the request of the Palestinian factions to form a committee to oversee the process. However, the PA is dissatisfied with Cairo’s efforts to start the reconstruction of Gaza without coordinating with it.

The Authority says that it will undertake the reconstruction process, and has already assessed the damage to infrastructure, residential buildings, and towers.

It also began listing the damages in all sectors, especially health and electricity, as well as agricultural facilities and local government institutions.

During the latest ministerial meeting, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh instructed the formation of a team of ministers, civil society, and the private sector, to follow up the reconstruction process.

He announced that all countries agreed that the reconstruction would take place through the government.

Minister of Finance Shoukry Bishara met a high-level delegation from the World Bank Group, headed by the Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, Ferid Belhaj, to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation.

They also discussed the Group’s report on the damage caused to all vital and economic sectors in the Strip as a result of the recent Israeli aggression, and the means of reconstruction and reviving the economy.

Belhaj asserted that the World Bank will work with its partners in the United Nations and the European Union to assess the damage and the required needs of the enclave.

The current disputes between the Authority, the factions, and regional countries complicate Cairo’s plan to end the division, establish a comprehensive ceasefire, and reconstruct the Gaza Strip, before launching a new political process.

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Arab World

Syria Foils Attempt to Smuggle Weapons to Hezbollah from Iraq

Syria's (L) and Iraq's national flags are pictured near the Iraqi-Syrian border, in Al-Qaim, western Iraq on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
Syria's (L) and Iraq's national flags are pictured near the Iraqi-Syrian border, in Al-Qaim, western Iraq on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
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Syria Foils Attempt to Smuggle Weapons to Hezbollah from Iraq

Syria's (L) and Iraq's national flags are pictured near the Iraqi-Syrian border, in Al-Qaim, western Iraq on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
Syria's (L) and Iraq's national flags are pictured near the Iraqi-Syrian border, in Al-Qaim, western Iraq on January 23, 2026. (AFP)

Syrian authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle in a shipment of advanced weapons and missiles over the border from Iraq, the state news agency ‌SANA reported on ‌Thursday, citing ‌an ⁠Interior Ministry source, ⁠who said preliminary investigations showed the shipment was intended for Lebanon's Hezbollah.

US President Donald Trump ⁠said in June ‌he ‌had spoken to Syrian President ‌Ahmed al-Sharaa about ‌combating Hezbollah.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's office said Sharaa had assured him Syria would not take sides in Lebanon's internal affairs.

Arab World

Katz: Israel Will Keep Troops in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza 'Security Zones'

FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: FILE PHOTO - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: FILE PHOTO - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
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Katz: Israel Will Keep Troops in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza 'Security Zones'

FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: FILE PHOTO - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
FILED - 25 June 2024, Israel, Jerusalem: FILE PHOTO - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz told his US counterpart Pete Hegseth early Thursday that Israel is determined to keep its forces in "security zones" it has carved out inside Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Katz's office said the two men spoke overnight and the minister "emphasized Israel's determination to remain in the security zones in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon in order to protect Israel's borders and the communities near the border from the threats posed by jihadist forces.”

"We have never asked the United States to act in our place along our borders," AFP quoted Katz as saying.

His comments come days after US President Donald Trump asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pull Israeli forces out of Syria and Lebanon, according to US news outlet Axios.

Citing a US official, Axios reported that Trump told Netanyahu the Israeli deployment was fueling tensions in Syria.

"They don't want you there. You should redeploy," Trump told him, according to Axios.

After the December 2024 overthrow of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights.

Israel has also carried out repeated incursions into Syrian territory since then, as well as bombings, and has said it wants a demilitarized zone in the country's south.

In Lebanon, Israeli forces remain deployed in what the military describes as a security zone extending roughly 10 kilometers (six miles) into Lebanese territory.

Lebanon and Israel are engaged in talks to end hostilities after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the broader Middle East war by attacking Israel in March.

The two countries concluded their fifth round of talks in Rome on Wednesday.

The US-brokered negotiations are aimed at having Israeli forces steadily withdraw from Lebanon, starting with two "pilot zones" located outside the "security zone" that Israel has established in the south.

In Gaza, Israel's military controls 60 percent of the territory and is present on the entire outside perimeter along the borders with Israel and Egypt.

Arab World

Egypt’s New Administrative Capital Gains Official Momentum, but Residential Occupancy Remains Limited

The East Nile Monorail passes alongside high-rise buildings in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital (Egyptian Ministry of Transport) 
The East Nile Monorail passes alongside high-rise buildings in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital (Egyptian Ministry of Transport) 
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Egypt’s New Administrative Capital Gains Official Momentum, but Residential Occupancy Remains Limited

The East Nile Monorail passes alongside high-rise buildings in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital (Egyptian Ministry of Transport) 
The East Nile Monorail passes alongside high-rise buildings in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital (Egyptian Ministry of Transport) 

Egypt’s New Administrative Capital is steadily gaining political momentum through a growing number of official events that reinforce its standing both officially and publicly, although residential occupancy remains limited.

According to Khaled Abbas, chairman and CEO of the Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD), more than 30,000 people now live in the city, with the number of residents increasing daily. Speaking on television last month, Abbas said the population is expected to reach between 50,000 and 60,000 by the end of the year, based on applications for utility meter installations received by the company.

The project dates back to March 2015, when it was launched to ease pressure on Cairo by building a new city covering about 700 square kilometers (roughly 170,000 feddans) in three phases. The first phase spans 168 square kilometers (about 40,000 feddans), nearly half the size of Cairo, which covers about 90,000 feddans.

The capital was originally scheduled to become operational in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic and the geopolitical tensions that followed delayed its official launch until 2024. Ministries then began relocating to the Government District, followed by parliament and other state institutions.

Despite major investments in roads and transportation networks, residential occupancy remains limited compared with the government’s presence, even as authorities continue to hold high-profile events aimed at enhancing the capital’s stature. Most recently, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated the Strategic Command Headquarters, which official statements said is modeled on the world’s most advanced command-and-control centers.

Ahmed Abdel Fattah, head of Partner Business Development at Bold Routes Egypt, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the occupancy rate is “normal despite being limited,” noting that residential populations in new cities typically grow gradually as services expand and more activities are held.

“Years ago, people considered cities such as New Cairo and 6th of October City too far away,” he said. “Today, properties are marketed according to their proximity to the American University in Cairo’s Fifth Settlement, which has effectively become the new downtown.”

Abbas defended the occupancy figures, saying they are “not low.” He noted that the first phase alone is four times the size of either Sheikh Zayed City or El Shorouk City. “The capital is not just a handful of buildings in the middle of the desert, as some imagine,” he stated, adding that infrastructure for the first phase has been completed and about 70 percent of the city’s land has been sold to real estate developers.

Egypt sees the new capital as “a pivotal step” toward reorganizing state institutions within a modern urban environment built on advanced infrastructure and technology, according to official statements.

The city now hosts cabinet meetings, government press conferences, official meetings with senior officials, and major conferences. It recently opened a dedicated “Fan Zone” for World Cup broadcasts and has hosted several official conferences.

To improve access, Egypt recently began operating the East Nile Monorail, linking Cairo with the new capital.

Abdel Fattah said demand for residential units remains lower than demand for comparable units in New Cairo, though interest is increasing. He noted that many projects in the capital are still in the planning and construction stages, with many buyers reserving units on installment plans for future residence.

“The average price per square meter for apartments is about EGP50,000 ($1 equals about EGP50), rising to EGP85,000 for villas,” he said, adding that prices remain lower than in New Cairo because services and projects are not yet fully completed. He described the capital as “the future of housing in Egypt’s real estate market” and predicted demand would continue to grow.

The first phase is designed to accommodate about 500,000 residents. Former senator and strategic analyst Abdel Monem Said, however, expects the population to reach 1 million by 2030. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the official momentum generated by recent inaugurations and the relocation of ministries and state institutions has strengthened the capital’s profile, while major events and conferences have increased its public appeal.

He continued that the current occupancy level is “natural, especially for a newly built city,” and predicted that both its population and its official and political role would expand gradually over time, following the experience of other countries that have established new capitals.