GAZA CITY , Nov 21 — Posters of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi beam out over a site in the war-battered Gaza Strip where labourers and bulldozers are hard at work rebuilding.
“The president’s instructions are to reconstruct the Gaza Strip. We are about 70 engineers, civil servants, lorry drivers, mechanics and workers,” said a worker who preferred not to give his name.During the 11-day conflict that erupted between Israel and armed Islamist factions in Gaza last May — the worst since 2014 — Egypt worked behind the scenes to mediate a ceasefire.
“Egypt and Hamas are not friends, but they have common interests,” he explained in his office in Al-Rimal, a Gaza district that was heavily bombarded by Israel in May.Hamas is in desperate need of international aid for reconstruction, while positive relations with Egypt are an added benefit as it controls the Rafah border, often the only access point for much-needed construction material to the enclave.
But a dispute arose over the distribution of salaries to Hamas officials as Israel objected to cash payments, suggesting that the Islamist movement could divert the money to its armed faction. “The Qatari aid is welcome and so is that of Egypt... We are coordinating between the countries,” Sarhan said. Doha announced on November 17th an agreement with Cairo “to supply fuel and basic building materials for the Gaza Strip”.
The road will however cut right through the Al-Shati refugee camp, where the buildings have been reduced to rubble.
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