An Egyptian engineering team arrived in the Gaza Strip Wednesday to discuss reconstruction, after the 11-day conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Palestinian sources said the team, which includes six Egyptian engineers, entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing to inspect the destruction ahead of bringing heavy machinery to remove the rubble.
Palestinian Minister of Public Works and Housing Mohamed Zeyara confirmed that the government will provide the necessary support to institutions that will work on relief and reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip.
Zeyara met with Western officials to discuss reconstruction and urgent interventions to bring back families to their homes and provide them with a permanent and adequate shelter.
The Minister praised the efforts of all international agencies and Arab countries, led by Egypt, that work in the enclave and provide urgent humanitarian relief.
On Monday, the head of the Egyptian intelligence service, Major General Abbas Kamel, visited the Strip for several hours and met with Hamas leaders and the Palestinian factions.
Egypt sponsored the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. It allocated $500 million for rebuilding efforts in the Gaza strip following Israeli airstrikes.
The Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Robert Mardini, arrived in Gaza to assess the humanitarian situation and visit those affected by the latest round of escalation.
Speaking to reporters, Mardini called for speeding the pace of reconstruction to support the affected residents.
Meanwhile, the Follow-up Committee of the National and Islamic Forces in Gaza announced the departure of UNRWA Gaza chief Matthias Schmale and his deputy after they were declared “persona non-grata.”
Schmale and his deputy had been “called in for consultation and discussion at the Jerusalem headquarters over the latest developments in Gaza.”
The committee stated that Schmale and his deputy were a major cause of the suffering of thousands of Palestinian refugees and UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip, stressing their refusal to return to the Strip.
Schmale created controversy after his interview with an Israeli television on May 22, in which he said he did not dispute Israel's assertion that its airstrikes were "precise".
Commenting on the ferocity of the airstrikes, the official said, “precision was there but there was an unacceptable and unbearable loss of life on the civilian side.”
