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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Wife of slain Navy officer appeals for peace after Pahalgam terror attack
Says don’t want hate against Muslims
New Delhi / Karnal: Days after losing her husband in the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, Himanshi Narwal — the wife of Indian Navy Lieutenant Vinay Narwal — made a moving appeal for communal harmony, urging people not to target any particular community in the aftermath of the tragedy.
In a video shared by news agency ANI, Himanshi, a PhD scholar from Gurugram, said, “We don’t want people going against Muslims or Kashmiris. We want peace and only peace. Of course, we want justice.”
Lieutenant Vinay Narwal was among the 26 defence personnel and civilians killed in the April 22 attack. He had just recently married Himanshi on April 16. The couple was on their honeymoon in Pahalgam when the incident occurred.
His mortal remains were brought to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport with full military honours, where they were received by Navy officials, grieving family members, and political leaders, including Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
An emotional Himanshi broke down as she saluted and embraced her husband’s coffin. Fighting back tears, she said, “Let his soul rest in peace. He lived a good life. He made us really proud, and we should continue to uphold that pride in every way.”
The final rites were conducted on Wednesday evening in Lieutenant Narwal’s hometown, Karnal in Haryana. His younger sister, 21-year-old Shristi, lit the funeral pyre in the presence of thousands of mourners. Navy personnel paid tribute with a gun salute, while chants of “Bharat ka veer amar rahe” and “Pakistan Murdabad” echoed through the crowd.
Speaking to Chief Minister Saini at the cremation site, Shristi expressed her pain, saying, “He was alive for some time, but no one came to save him… I want them dead,” referring to the attackers.
