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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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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Food Agency Says Its Food Stocks in Gaza Have Run out under Israel’s Blockade

A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A girl puts a pot to her head as Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

The World Food Program says its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

The WFP said in a statement that it delivered the last of its stocks to charity kitchens that it supports around Gaza. It said those kitchens are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Some 80% of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million relies primarily on charity kitchens for food, because other sources have shut down under Israel’s blockade, according to the UN. The WFP has been supporting 47 kitchens that distribute 644,000 hot meals a day, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa told the Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear how many kitchens would still be operating in Gaza if those shut down. But Etefa said the WFP-backed kitchens are the major ones in Gaza.

Israel cut off entry of all food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza on March 2 and then resumed its bombardment and ground offensives two weeks later, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It says the moves aim to pressure Hamas to release hostages it still holds. Rights groups have called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Israel has said Gaza has enough supplies after a surge of aid entered during the ceasefire and accuses Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution. They say the aid flow during the ceasefire was barely enough to cover the immense needs from throughout the war when only a trickle of supplies got in.

With no new goods entering Gaza, many foods have disappeared from markets, including meat, eggs, fruits, dairy products and many vegetables. Prices for what remains have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for much of the population. Most families rely heavily on canned goods.

Malnutrition is already surging. The UN said it identified 3,700 children suffering from acute malnutrition in March, up 80% from the month before. At the same time, because of diminishing supplies, aid groups were only able to provide nutritional supplements to some 22,000 children in March, down 70% from February. The supplements are a crucial tool for averting malnutrition.

Almost all bakeries shut down weeks ago and the WFP stopped distribution of food basics to families for lack of supplies. With stocks of most ingredients depleted, charity kitchens generally can only serve meals of pasta or rice with little added.

World Central Kitchen -- a US charity that is one of the biggest in Gaza that doesn’t rely on the WFP -- said Thursday that its kitchens had run out of proteins. Instead, they make stews from canned vegetables. Because fuel is scarce, it dismantles wooden shipping pallets to burn in its stoves, it said. It also runs the only bakery still functioning in Gaza, producing 87,000 loaves of pita a day.

The WFP said 116,000 tons of food is ready to be brought into Gaza if Israel opens the borders, enough to feed 1 million people for four months.

Israel has leveled much of Gaza with its air and ground campaign, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. It has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, whose count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In the Oct. 7 attack, gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. They still hold 59 hostages after most were released in ceasefire deals.