Egypt officials meet Palestinian factions, discuss reconciliation with Israel

An Egyptian security services’ delegation, on Sunday, arrived in the beleaguered Gaza Strip and met with main Palestinian factions. According to a report by Sputnik, both sides held a discussion that majorly focussed on reconstruction of the 140sq mile territory- a majority of which was destructed during the 11-day war, reconciliation between Israel and Palestine as well as lifting the ongoing blockade. 

“The Egyptian delegation of the security services met tonight (Sunday) with the movements of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the liberation of Palestine, separately,” a source present at the meeting told Sputnik News Agency.

Egypt contributed to rebuilding of Gaza 

Hundreds of Gazans were killed and a majority of buildings were obliterated by Israeli forces during a conflict in May this year. In the aftermath, Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine and also contributed funds to rebuild the destroyed territory. In May, Egyptian President Abdel al-Sisi announced that he’ll allocate US $500 million for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

In 2006, the Islamic resistance movement Hamas seized power in Gaza Strip, overthrowing the Fatah leadership. A year later, Israel along with Egypt imposed a blockade on the strip. The reason they gave was to prevent Hamas from accessing weaponry and funds. Over the years, they have time and again opened and closed the borders, however, its repercussions have severely impacted Palestine.

As the blockade severed, Gaza’s de facto rulers constructed a vast network of tunnels to counter the blockade. The vast ‘metro’ network not only aids Hamas in smuggling operatives across the conflict-hit border but also serves as the only means for millions of Gazans to access goods and services from Egypt and seldom Israel. A report by Al Jazeera disclosed that Hamas uses the tunnels to provide a passage to their leaders as well as shield their ammunitions from potential air attacks by the zionists. On the Israeli border, these tunnels are particularly used for incursions while down south they serve as a channel to transport goods from Egypt bringing millions of dollars in import tax to Hamas.

(Image: AP)

(With inputs from agencies)