As Gaza awaits first step, India looks to send aid, join reconstruction effort

The next step will be to clear the rubble in the enclave and help in rebuilding water systems and sanitation works, destroyed in Israeli air strikes and shelling. The US estimates that around USD 70 billion is needed to rebuild Gaza, and that about 83 per cent of all building structures in Gaza City have been destroyed.

A UN official told the Reuters news agency that the two-year war in Gaza in which about 68,000 people have died – it followed the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 in which 1200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage – had produced rubble equal to 13 times the material that went into building the pyramids of Giza.

Jaco Cilliers, an official at the United Nations Development Programme, said Israel’s war against Hamas generated at least 55 million tonnes of rubble and that it could take decades for Gaza to recover fully. The UNDP said it had already cleared some 81,000 tonnes of rubble from the Gaza Strip and was continuing to do so.

Given the precarious situation in Gaza where a ceasefire has just come into effect, Delhi is keeping a close watch on the next steps – from the security arrangements in the form of the International Stabilisation Force, the disarming and demilitarisation of Hamas, and the governance structure via the Board of Peace to be led by US President Donald Trump with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in it too.

The Palestinians, including Hamas, have indicated that they will hand over their arms to a Palestinian governance structure. There is a debate on whether only big arms equipment have to be deposited and small arms can be retained for safety given the ongoing clashes between rivals in Gaza.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “India stands for peace in the Middle East and resolution of issues through dialogue and diplomacy. We support the Gaza peace plan of President Trump and appreciate Egypt and Qatar for their valuable roles in achieving this and advancing the path to peace.”

“Held following the release of all remaining hostages and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the summit was aimed at strengthening efforts for regional peace and stability, in line with President Trump’s vision for lasting peace in the region,” it said.

“This is also in line with India’s long standing support for a negotiated two-State solution. India will support all efforts towards a lasting peace in the region,” the MEA said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he welcomed the release of all hostages after over two years of captivity and thanked Trump for his “unwavering peace efforts”.

In his address to the Israeli parliament, Trump described the Gaza peace process as “the dawn of a new Middle East” and said a “beautiful and much brighter future” had suddenly appeared within the region’s reach.

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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