Contribution to life: Arab League urged to invite Russia to rebuild Gaza

Russia should be invited to participate in international initiatives to rebuild the Gaza Strip, Walid Hamid Shiltag, head of the Arab League representative office in Moscow, told Izvestia. According to him, Russian aid to the Palestinians has never stopped. At the same time, he noted the need to transfer the recovery process "from paper to a practical plane" so that Gazans could really return to normal life. Meanwhile, the situation in the Palestinian exclave remains tense: after another escalation in Rafah, Hamas and Israel exchanged mutual accusations of violating the truce. At the same time, Turkey is preparing to send search and rescue teams to Gaza to search for the bodies of Israeli hostages under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

Russia's participation in the reconstruction of Gaza

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has announced that a conference on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will be held in Egypt in November.

— We are pleased to have reached an agreement at the meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh. One of the main topics there was reconstruction, and all countries of the world should contribute to this process. The Russian Federation was not there. But in our opinion, Russia's participation in this great peace project is necessary as a great power that constantly supports the Palestinian position," Walid Hamid Shiltag said.

The diplomat expressed hope that Moscow would be able to join the upcoming processes through direct dialogue with Arab countries.

— The issue of recovery is very important now. A conference on the reconstruction of Gaza is planned. Let's see if Russia will be invited. I don't have specific information on this yet, but I believe that Russia should participate in such events that relate to peace and stability in the region, especially when it comes to Palestine," he said.

According to him, the reconstruction of Gaza should move "from paper to a practical plane" so that the population can return to normal life.

"Russian aid to the Palestinians has never stopped and, I think, will not stop: even in the midst of the battles and genocide of the Palestinian people, Moscow continued to send aid and support the Palestinian cause," the diplomat noted.

Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier, responding to a question from Izvestia, stressed that although Russia was not a party to the deal, Moscow was ready to help the Palestinians and provide all necessary assistance.

The summit, convened on October 13 in Sharm el-Sheikh, brought together the leaders of Egypt, the United States, Turkey and Qatar. Presidents Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Donald Trump, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani signed a final agreement providing for the implementation of the first phase of the plan to resolve the situation in the Gaza Strip. The document reflects the provisions on the restoration of infrastructure, the management of the exclave and the political settlement.

According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the Russian side was invited to the summit at the last moment. The Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, Badr Abdel Ata, noted that due to the short preparation time for the event, the participation of Russian and Chinese diplomats proved impossible. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the invitation was received a few hours before the meeting and "given the logistical difficulties, the timely arrival of representatives of Russia and China in Sharm el-Sheikh proved impossible."

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explained that the invitations were sent by the hosts of the summit, the Egyptian leadership, which coordinated its actions primarily with the United States. President Vladimir Putin, in turn, said that Russia is ready to contribute to the implementation of the Gas peace plan and offer solutions to emerging issues.

Point of reckoning: Hamas and Israel are on the brink of war again

The bombing of Rafah could be a prologue to new clashes.

The truce in Gaza is on the verge of collapse

Meanwhile, tensions in the Gaza Strip have risen again. On October 19, the IDF announced a violation of the ceasefire by Hamas, reporting an incident near the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where armed men fired at the Israeli military, killing two. In response, the Israeli army retaliated against Gaza. During the day, the IDF attacked about 100 targets. According to Palestinian sources, 45 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes.

The Palestinian Hamas movement denied accusations of involvement in the attack, adding that it does not control the southern part of the sector where the incident took place. The military wing of the organization clarified that they have not been in touch with the fighters who remained in Rafah since March and have no information about their fate. At the same time, Hamas blamed Israel for the failure of the ceasefire agreement, stressing that the Israeli side "daily and grossly violates" its obligations.

A statement released by the movement says that Israel has not fulfilled the terms of the deal on several points at once — from stopping the shelling of civilian targets to lifting restrictions on the import of humanitarian supplies and heavy equipment. In addition, Hamas accused Israel of delaying the prisoner exchange and refusing to release all women and minors in Israeli prisons.

The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found itself in a difficult situation, balancing the need to respond to the killing of two IDF soldiers and US pressure to preserve a fragile peace in order to implement Trump's plan. Nevertheless, after a series of strikes, the Israeli army announced that it had returned to observing the ceasefire.

An expert on Palestinian resistance issues, Hani Salah, noted: Israel's failure to comply with the points of the first phase of the agreement indicates the frivolity of its intentions to resolve the conflict. According to the expert, it is clear from the statements of the country's officials that they are not interested either in strengthening the ceasefire regime or in advancing negotiations on the second phase of the deal.

"It is precisely because of the actions of the Israeli side that the bodies of the hostages have not yet been transferred, as it prevents the entry into Gaza of special equipment necessary for search operations," the expert told Izvestia.

Against the background of ongoing instability, Turkey has increased its participation in the humanitarian part of the agreement. Ankara has prepared several dozen search and rescue teams to be sent to Gaza, equipped with equipment to work in conditions of chemical and radiation pollution.

According to Al-Monitor sources, the main task of the mission will be to search for the bodies of Israeli hostages under the rubble of destroyed buildings. However, the departure of the detachments is postponed due to the need to coordinate actions with other countries and because of the position of Israel, which, according to local media, is blocking their entry into the sector for now.