Washington: Israel must pay for Gaza demolition.
According to Arab media, sources in the Israeli regime have confirmed that Tel Aviv has agreed to the US request, which is estimated to cost billions of dollars.
In this regard, the Al-Ittihad newspaper, published in the occupied Palestinian territories, wrote: A senior Israeli political official told the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that Tel Aviv has agreed to Washington’s request to pay for the costs of clearing the rubble in Gaza.
According to the newspaper, these costs may reach hundreds of millions of shekels, while the entire project is estimated to cost several billion dollars.
This action was taken after Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani announced that his country was not willing to sign a “reconstruction check” for the damage that Israel has caused in Gaza.
Dimensions of the humanitarian disaster
The Russia Today network also reported, citing the Wall Street Journal, that Gaza is now covered with about 68 million tons of rubble; A figure that the United Nations Development Program has estimated to be equivalent to the weight of approximately 186 buildings the size of the Empire State Building in New York.
According to this report, the removal of this huge amount of rubble is a basic condition for the start of the second phase of Gaza’s reconstruction within the framework of the ceasefire agreement.
Russia Today added: While Washington emphasizes the immediate start of the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel has announced that it will not enter this phase until the body of Israeli prisoner “Ron Ghuli” is returned. In this regard, Tel Aviv has provided information and aerial images to the mediators to determine the possible location of the body of the Israeli prisoner.
US plans for the future of Gaza
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said: The Trump administration is making extensive behind-the-scenes efforts to advance the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
She added that the formation of the “Special Gaza Peace Council” and the technocratic government in Gaza will be announced at the appropriate time. Trump has also promised to introduce the council, which is supposed to oversee the administration and reconstruction of Gaza, by early 2026.
Russia Today added: Reports indicate that Washington intends to appoint an American general to command the “International Stabilization Force” that will be deployed in Gaza in early 2026.
According to the report, Indonesia and the Republic of Azerbaijan have expressed their readiness to send troops, but some countries have preferred to provide training, equipment or financial resources.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has privately expressed doubts about the ability of this force to disarm Hamas and has said that the Israeli army will have to play a role.
Russia Today added, citing the newspaper “Yediot Aharonot”, that Israeli officials have said that Washington is focusing more on the reconstruction of Gaza than on the disarmament of Hamas, and this has caused serious concerns in Tel Aviv.
According to IRNA, the Zionist regime launched a war against the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 (October 15, 1402) with the two main goals of eliminating the Hamas movement and returning the Zionist prisoners from this region, but failed to achieve these goals and was forced to reach an agreement with the Hamas movement to exchange prisoners.
On Thursday, October 17, the Hamas movement issued a statement officially announcing the achievement of an agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip and exchange prisoners.
On Friday afternoon, October 18, 1404, the Israeli army officially announced the implementation of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and announced: According to the agreement, Israeli forces will remain stationed in certain areas of the Gaza Strip, and movement from the south to the north of the Gaza Strip will be allowed via Al-Rashid Street and Salahuddin Road.
This is while the Zionist regime continues to obstruct the implementation of the provisions of the first phase of the ceasefire and its repeated violations.