WEB DESK: In what must be the closest the United States would ever come to acknowledging Israel’s destruction of Gaza, the US’ Middle East envoy under president Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff admitted that there was “nothing left” in the Israel-encircled enclave.
The Trump-appointed US envoy acknowledged that the process of rebuilding Gaza, after Israel decimated it, would take anywhere from “ten to fifteen years”. This comes after the United Nations (UN) recently reported that it would take close to two decades to remove all the rubble in the enclave.
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Gaza was completely decimated by unbridled Israeli airstrikes, which have killed an estimated 47,000 Palestinians, among them 15,000 children. The Israeli siege of Gaza amounts to a genocide, with only the US vociferously denying and steadfastly standing with the occupying forces in the UN Security Council even as other nations condemned the atrocities.
The 15-month long assault finally ended recently as Hamas, who runs Gaza, and the Israeli government finally reached a ceasefire agreement. In return for 290 Palestinian prisoners, Hamas would return the ten hostages it took on October 7, 2023 that triggered the latest escalation in the long-standing occupation.
A prominent real estate developer, Witkoff recently concluded an official visit to the Middle East. He saw first-hand the destruction Israel wreaked on Gaza. “The level of destruction in Gaza is staggering”, he said in an interview to an international media outlet.
He detailed the dilemma facing the Palestinians without a roof over their heads. “People are moving north to assess the situation, only to turn back in despair … there is a complete lack of water and electricity. The extend of the damage is truly shocking”.
Witkoff estimated that the initial phase of debris removal could take up to five years, with more time required to merely evualate the extensive network of underground tunnels before any reconstruction efforts could even begin!
The US enjoy even cautioned against any unrealistic expectations of a fast recovery to rebuild the area. “There has been a belief that we could devise a solid plan for Gaza within five years. However, that is simply not feasible. This is a long-term rebuilding effort that will take ten to fifteen years”.
The Trump appointee also engaged with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, among other high-profile officials during his trip.
The destruction in Gaza is critical to such an extent that UN and several other humanitarian organisations warned of mass starvation amidst widespread destruction. The International Criminal Court even issued arrest warrants for the Israeli PM and former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, for the war crimes and “crimes against humanity” committed by the Israeli military in Gaza.
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The occupying force is even facing a genocide charge at the International Court of Justice regarding its action in Gaza. Amnesty International also reported that Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to genocide, a charge the latter vehemently denies.