The New York Times reported that last December, a meeting was held in London to discuss efforts to rebuild Gaza and transform it into a Mediterranean commercial center focusing on trade, tourism and innovation.

The American newspaper reported that the meeting included senior officials from American and European economic development agencies, executives from finance and construction companies in the Middle East, and two partners from the international consulting firm McKinsey & Company, indicating that all parties attended as individuals only, and not as representatives of their institutions.

She stressed that the plan presented by the attendees was “far from the bitter reality facing Gaza today.” Participants in the meeting also stressed that it is merely an exercise in charting a more prosperous future for Gaza, which carries value because it can pave the way for projects as soon as conditions become appropriate.

The group explained that the most urgent work is to deliver food, water, health care and emergency shelter to Gazans, who are now facing disaster, “but the primary focus of their plan is the rebuilding that will unfold over the following decades.”

Infrastructure :-

The plan focuses on a series of major projects, including a port, a desalination plant to provide drinking water, an online healthcare service, and a transportation corridor connecting Gaza to the West Bank.

A Reconstruction and Development Fund will supervise these future projects.

The plan also includes more forward-looking elements, such as lowering tariff barriers to trade and introducing a new currency in place of the Israeli shekel, and assumes the eventual establishment of Palestinian self-rule, a move that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to resist.

the cost :-

The high price of any reconstruction is another obstacle. The value of the damage to critical infrastructure in Gaza (infrastructure alone) has reached $18.5 billion, according to a recent estimate by the World Bank and the United Nations.

Half the population is on the brink of famine, and more than a million people lack homes.

One of the biggest questions raised is: “Who can provide such funding?”

A previous development plan for the Palestinian territories presented by the administration of former US President Donald Trump in 2019 envisaged significant investments from Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Development:-

The unemployment rate in Gaza reached more than 45 percent in 2022, according to the World Bank. More than half the population lived in poverty, according to the International Monetary Fund.

While visions of modern transportation systems may now seem incidental to Gaza's basic needs, the plan is governed by the assumption that even temporary structures such as emergency housing and health care facilities must be thoughtfully placed to avoid wasting future potential.

“If Hamas remains a player, people will not invest tens of billions of dollars,” said Stephen Byers, former British Cabinet Secretary in Tony Blair's government, who attended the London meeting.

The ideas that emerged from the workshops extend into the next quarter century.

These projects include constructing a state-of-the-art football stadium, raising the current football team to a more internationally competitive level, and developing a strategy to encourage the Palestinian film industry.

While major projects require clarity on the future political management of Gaza, other initiatives, such as those aimed at encouraging small businesses, can begin once military activities cease.

“I want to focus on how to open a bagel shop, how to get the factories up and running,” said Jim Beck, CEO of the Middle East Investment Initiative, a non-profit organization that funds development projects. “Every truck that is going to remove the debris is in itself a small business that supports a family.”

Sama