Palestinian PM unveils 67 bln US dollars, five-year plan for Gaza reconstruction

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Palestinian PM unveils 67 bln US dollars, five-year plan for Gaza reconstruction

2025-10-17 12:00 Last Updated At：18:27

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa on Thursday unveiled a three-phase recovery and reconstruction plan for war-torn Gaza, which is estimated to cost 67 billion U.S. dollars and spans five years.

Speaking at a meeting with international partners at the cabinet headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Mustafa said the Palestinian government has established a unified framework for reconstruction through the Gaza Recovery and Reconstruction Implementation Program, based on the Arab Plan for Recovery, Reconstruction, and Development in Gaza adopted at the Extraordinary Arab Summit in Cairo in March.

International assessments estimated that damages and losses from the two-year war in Gaza have exceeded 67 billion U.S. dollars, Mustafa said.

The rebuilding program sets a five-year timeframe of 67 billion dollars, encompassing 56 sub-programs in 18 sectors, including housing, social services, and infrastructure, and will be implemented in close coordination with Palestinian ministries, institutions and international partners, said Mustafa.

According to Mustafa, the five-year program is divided into three phases: the first, a six-month emergency phase focusing on early recovery, valued at 3.5 billion dollars; the second, a three-year reconstruction and recovery phase, valued at approximately 30 billion dollars; and the third, the reconstruction phase.

With the Gaza ceasefire agreement taking effect, a Gaza reconstruction meeting will be held in November in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, with an aim to build a central platform to effectively mobilize international resources, build a framework for multilateral cooperation, and advance the rebuilding of Gaza, said Mustafa.

He emphasized that all these efforts must be led and coordinated by the Palestinian Authority, with the supervision of international partners.

The reconstruction process will also strengthen integration between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, so as to contribute to the restoration of a unified Palestinian governance framework, said Mustafa.

The two-year war in Gaza have left about 55 million tons of rubble scattered across the region, equivalent to the combined mass of 13 Giza pyramids in Egypt, said Jaco Cilliers, special representative for the UNDP (United Nations Development Program) Program of Assistance to the Palestinian People.

The first step is to clear the rubble for any reconstruction effort and the immediate priority is to clear roads to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, he said.

However, the debris removal process faces significant challenges, including the need to safely dispose of unexploded ordnance to protect workers and civilians, the special representative said.

UNGA President warns global multilateral system "under attack"

The multilateral system is "under attack" amid global turmoil, President of the 80th UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock warned in her remarks on Wednesday.

In her briefing on the priorities for the resumed 80th Session of the General Assembly, the UNGA president noted that the current multilateral system does not collapse all in a sudden, but "crumbles piece by piece" in divisions, compromises, and lack of political commitment.

The president called all the UN member states to defend the UN Charter and international law and promote cross-regional cooperation.

She also urged to push forward the work of the UNGA on certain critical issues with a strong majority, rather than an absolute consensus among all member states. Such act is not a failure of multilateralism, but "an affirmation of it," she said.

The foundational principles of the institution should not be eroded by appeasement, she said, calling the member states to show courage, leadership, and responsibility at the UN's "critical make-or-break moment."

"The UN needs you. Your support, your leadership, your principle, stand, your cross-regional cooperation, if we are to preserve and modernize this institution, if we are to make it, rather than break it," she said.