During this military operation, Israeli forces bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air, land and sea, killing over 2,000 individuals and damaging severely the civilian infrastructure. The widespread targeting of civilian infrastructure by Israel led to the destruction or the severe damage of 18,000 housing units rendering over 100,000 people homeless [1], as well as damage to schools, hospitals, and the electricity plant.
Much of the housing and infrastructure in Gaza was built from donor funding after previous Israeli military operations. In such a context, the new funding initiative by members of the international community must consider international law and the basic human rights of Palestinians, in order to mitigate the likelihood of such repeated crimes.
First, addressing the catastrophic level of destruction and the on-going humanitarian crisis in Gaza is impossible without lifting the 7-year blockade.
A monitoring scheme has been presented and agreed upon between the UN, the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, to increase access for building material [2]. This mechanism is insufficient to bring about the rapid reconstruction of Gaza or any sort of lasting change in the lives of Gazans. As winter is approaching and the humanitarian needs of Gazans become more urgent, the blockade must be lifted to allow for the full freedom of movement of people and goods.
The total cost of relief, recovery, and reconstruction is estimated at $4 billion. This is about three times the estimated cost of needs after Israel’s 2008 assault [3]. The same cycle of funding support from the international community and subsequent Israeli destruction of donor projects cannot continue. Operation Protective Edge caused enormous destruction and resulted in flagrant and massive violations of international humanitarian law. Israel must be held accountable for its actions and must financially contribute to the reconstruction of Gaza.
As for the reconstruction, donors should exercise due diligence to guarantee that companies, both public and private, involved in the reconstruction have not been engaged or contributed in human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. All aspects of the reconstruction must be managed in a manner to ensure that the Israeli economy does not profit from its attack on Gaza.
In considering its approach to funding, the international community should ensure a permanent end to hostilities, secure the protection of civilians and ensure that all perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and violations of international humanitarian law are held accountable. Donor countries should thus support the work of the Independent Commission on Inquiry created by the UN Human Rights Council, and facilitate the access to Gaza of international NGOs to carry out independent and impartial research into all alleged violations.