Arab leaders endorse Egypt’s $53 billion Gaza reconstruction plan
Cairo/Gaza: Arab leaders have approved Egypt’s $53 billion Gaza reconstruction plan, aimed at preventing the displacement of Palestinians and rebuilding the war-torn enclave. The decision was made during an emergency Arab summit in Cairo on Tuesday, with full backing from participating leaders.
The plan includes establishing a seaport and an airport in Gaza, as well as recycling rubble left by the destruction. A non-factional technocratic committee will oversee Gaza’s administration for at least six months under the Palestinian Authority’s umbrella.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced that Egypt would seek international support for the plan. Arab leaders pledged financial, material, and political assistance, urging global institutions to contribute. They also emphasised the need to implement the next phases of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel and called for Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor.
The leaders warned that any attempts to annex Palestinian land or displace its people would escalate conflict and destabilise the region. They vowed to establish a trust fund for reconstruction and rejected previous proposals, including former US President Donald Trump's plan to relocate Gazans to neighbouring countries.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the reconstruction plan, reaffirming support for Trump’s earlier proposal. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed the UN’s readiness to support Egypt’s initiative, calling for unimpeded humanitarian aid access.
Hamas welcomed the summit’s outcomes, hailing the Arab leaders’ rejection of displacement efforts. The group asserted that the Palestinian “Nakba” of 1948 would not be repeated and called for mobilising resources to ensure the plan’s success.
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PM Modi to flag off Meerut Metro, Namo Bharat train on Feb 22
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday will visit Meerut and flag off the Meerut Metro and Namo Bharat train at Shatabdi Nagar Namo Bharat station in the western Uttar Pradesh town.
From there, the prime minister will undertake a metro ride till Meerut South station and at around 1 pm, he will inaugurate and dedicate to the nation various development projects worth around Rs 12,930 crore in Meerut.
Modi will also address the gathering on the occasion, said a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.
The prime minister will dedicate to the nation the entire 82 Km Delhi–Meerut Namo Bharat corridor. He will inaugurate the remaining sections of India's first Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), which include the 5 km section between Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar in Delhi and the 21 km section between Meerut South and Modipuram in Uttar Pradesh.
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With a design speed of 180 km per hour, Namo Bharat is India's first regional rapid transit system. It will connect major urban centres such as Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Modinagar and Meerut with Delhi at a faster pace, the statement said.
The Sarai Kale Khan, the originating station of the corridor, is one of the four Namo Bharat stations to be commissioned with this inauguration.
It is strategically located as a major multi-modal hub, seamlessly connecting Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, Delhi Metro's pink line, Veer Haqeeqat Rai ISBT, and the ring road. The other three Namo Bharat stations, Shatabdi Nagar, Begumpul and Modipuram, being commissioned are in Meerut.
The prime minister will also inaugurate the Meerut Metro services between Meerut South and Modipuram, operating on the same infrastructure as Namo Bharat, in a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.
The Meerut Metro will be India's fastest metro system with a maximum operational speed of around 120 kmph. The metro will cover the entire stretch in just 30 minutes, with all scheduled stoppages en route.
This seamless integration of Namo Bharat and Meerut Metro on the same infrastructure will ensure high-speed intercity travel and swift intra-city movement, setting a benchmark for integrated urban and regional transit in India. It will decongest road traffic and consequently lead to a significant reduction in vehicular carbon dioxide emissions.
These projects will provide further impetus to the prime minister's vision of transforming urban mobility and ensuring seamless, efficient, modern and sustainable public transport systems that improve ease of living for citizens, the statement said.
