Egyptian medical delegation arrives in Gaza to perform critical surgeries: Extra News

CAIRO – 22 December 2021: An Egyptian medical delegation comprising doctors of different specialties have arrived in the Gaza Strip to perform critical surgeries, Extra News reported.

Doctors specialized in general surgery, orthopedic surgery and heart surgery have arrived in the strip amid a deficiency in the number of doctors in Gaza over the past years, an Extra News correspondent said.

Some patients may be transferred for treatment outside the enclave, according to the correspondent.

Earlier this month, The Egyptian National Committee for the Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, on Monday, launched the second phase of reconstructing the destroyed places in the strip.

The second phase plan was announced in a conference held at al-Mashtal hotel in the strip, in the presence of representatives of the Palestinian government and factional delegations.

The reconstruction projects come under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, said the director of the Gaza Reconstruction projects Amr Aref at the conference.

The first phase was removing 85,000 cubic meters of debris and rubbles of buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli-Gaza war, the committee said, added that the second phase includes six projects, namely the development of Gaza Corniche, residential communities: Dar Misr 1 (al-Zahra city), Dar Misr 2 (Jabalia city), and Dar Misr 3 (Beit Lahia city). In addition to establishing two bridges.

In May 2021, the Israeli aggression caused financial casualties estimated at $450 million, demolishing nearly 1,650 housing units totally, and more than 60,000 housing units partially, said Undersecretary of the Ministry of Works in Gaza, Naji Sarhan, at the conference.

The direct damages in other sectors of infrastructure and economic, agricultural, educational and health facilities were estimated at about $150 million, he added.

The cost of the national plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, which was adopted at the 2014 Cairo Conference is about $3.9 billion, he said, adding that the donor states pledged at the Cairo Conference amounted to $5 billion dollars, but the amount received was nearly $900 million, representing 26% of the pledges.

“We would like to confirm that the directive of the [Egyptian] political leadership for the reconstruction of Gaza is to use Palestinian labor and contractors to start the reconstruction process,” the committee said at the conference.