BICOM

Gaza’s reconstruction has quietly begun, according to Alex Fishman in Yediot Ahronot.

According to the report, an agreement was reached between the IDF and Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and includes several critical roles for the European Union.

The agreement reportedly includes having Palestinian Authority (PA) officials manning the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom and Erez border crossings, and possibly the Rafah crossing into Egypt too.

Israel will begin to allow construction materials into the Gaza Strip provided they only go to a list of approved contractors, vetted by both Israel and the PA. EU monitors on the ground in Gaza will supervise construction.

The salaries of Hamas civil servants will be paid under this agreement via a new mechanism involving the transfer of money to UN Special Coordinator Robert Serry, who would then pass it to a Gaza bank. Hamas’s armed wing will not be included in this deal.

The salary money in question will come from the Qatari government in the first instance and a committee including EU officials will look into reducing the civil service payroll by 17,000 people over the next few months.

AFP reported that US Secretary of State John Kerry would join a conference on Gaza reconstruction next week, on 12 October, in Cairo.

There are also reports that the US will begin a new push on the peace process after November’s mid-term elections, presenting a longer-term plan and process instead of the ‘deadline’ approach that Mr Kerry has hitherto supported.