The Gaza Peace Council issued an official statement refuting claims published by the British newspaper Financial Times regarding the mechanisms for funding the sector's reconstruction plans. The Council affirmed that the information contained in the report lacks accuracy and does not reflect the true financial landscape through which current operations are managed, emphasizing that the published narrative was biased away from the facts on the ground.
The Council clarified through its official platforms that cash and funding operations are not limited to a single channel, as the newspaper attempted to promote, but rather rely on multiple mechanisms and diverse pathways to ensure the flow of funds. The Council accused the newspaper of deliberately highlighting only one subsidiary mechanism with the aim of supporting a specific viewpoint that ignores the comprehensive efforts made in this regard.
This response comes in the wake of international reports that indicated a deep gap between the volume of financial pledges announced by the international community and the amounts that actually reached the Council's accounts. According to informed sources, the fund associated with the World Bank has not yet received direct funding commensurate with the volume of international commitments, which exceeded 17 billion dollars.
The sources indicated that the financial contributions currently available are limited to operational and logistical aspects and do not cover major construction costs. These expenses include the costs of the office of the international envoy, Nikolay Mladenov, in addition to covering the salaries of the Palestinian technocratic committee and specialized training programs for new police forces in Gaza.
Reports indicate that funds for actual construction and massive infrastructure projects have not yet been injected into the field, due to ongoing setbacks in political and security tracks. The funding process faces challenges related to the desire of some donor countries to use traditional UN channels instead of direct transfers to the Council, for considerations related to oversight and transparency.
The Gaza Peace Council is the cornerstone for implementing the 'Twenty-Point Plan' proposed by US President Donald Trump at the end of 2025 to end the conflict. The plan aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire and deploy international stabilization forces, with an estimated total reconstruction budget of approximately 70 billion dollars in the long term.
The Council had previously acknowledged the existence of logistical and financial challenges represented by the gap between international promises and actual disbursement operations on the ground. The Council called on international parties to accelerate the pace of fund transfers to ensure that reconstruction plans do not remain mere ink on paper in light of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions experienced by the sector's residents.
On the ground, the Council's technical reports revealed that the extent of destruction in the Gaza Strip has reached catastrophic levels, affecting about 85% of buildings and infrastructure. The first phase of work requires the removal of approximately 70 million tons of rubble and debris, a complex process that precedes any attempt to begin the actual construction of housing and vital facilities.
Agreement on funding mechanisms and the unification of financial channels remains the biggest challenge facing regional stability and ensuring the success of the peace plan. Observers believe that resolving the funding issue is a critical matter of time, as the Council's success in its tasks is linked to its ability to transform international pledges into tangible projects that end the suffering of displaced persons and restore life to civilian facilities.
Our cash operations do not rely on a single channel as the newspaper promoted, but are managed through multiple axes to ensure continuity of work.
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Gaza Peace Council Refutes International Reports on Reconstruction Funding Delays