Gazans are taking matters into their own hands by launching community reconstruction efforts

Noor Alyacoubi | Mondoweiss

With limited resources, Palestinians in Gaza and in exile are funding community reconstruction efforts amid the absence of international aid. “We have to keep trying to help Gaza rise again,” an organizer with the Sameer Project tells Mondoweiss.

Abu Ahmad, a displaced resident of northern Gaza, thought he would be living with some sort of roof over his head by now. Instead, he and his family remain exposed to the cold and the rain with only a threadbare tent for shelter. He told Mondoweiss:

"When the ceasefire was announced, I believed I would finally be able to rebuild my home, or at least get a caravan to survive the winter. Instead, we only hear about plans and conferences. Nothing has actually changed."

Abu Ahmad's home now lies beyond the so-called Yellow Line, which cuts Gaza in half and has been progressively expanded by the Israeli army to cover larger swathes of land to fall under its control.

Almost two months into the ceasefire, international conferences on Gaza's reconstruction and frequent promises to rebuild have so far amounted to little. According to UN estimates, 25 hospitals are out of service, nearly 70% of housing units have been partially or completely destroyed, 85% of water and sewage facilities have been damaged, and 95% of schools are reduced to rubble.

Amid these conditions, humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials have entered at rates far below the agreed-upon amounts as part of the ceasefire deal. Gazans have characterized the present humanitarian situation as a "new form of genocide."

U.S. President Donald Trump has envisioned turning Gaza into a Middle East "Riviera," while his 20-point "peace" plan would see Gaza run by a foreign "Board of Peace" that amounts to a Mandate-like form of colonial rule over the Strip.

Meanwhile, Egypt plans to host an international conference on Gaza's reconstruction, estimating that $70 billion would be required to rebuild it. Qatar and other countries have also pledged support. On the ground, however, no tangible reconstruction efforts have begun, widening the gap between political statements and lived reality.

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Gaza Cease-fire Agreement Furthers Ongoing Age of Imperialism

Jeremy Kazmurov | Covert Action Magazine 

In October 9, Israel and Hamas announced the adoption of a cease-fire agreement involving the release of all hostages held by Hamas.

Israel, in exchange, agreed to allow for the entry of humanitarian aid, to release Palestinian prisoners, and to withdraw its forces to a so-called “yellow line” from which they will still control all land crossings into Gaza.

The U.S. additionally agreed to send 200 more troops to Israel to monitor and oversee the agreement.

New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman gushed that President Donald Trump deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for helping to broker the agreement. However, the World Socialist Web Site reported that the October 9 “peace” deal inscribes a return to the open colonial domination of the Middle East that prevailed in the 19^th century.

Gaza is now to be governed by a “Board of Peace” headed and chaired by Donald Trump and which will include former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) noted that the “peace agreement” was “steeped in colonial rhetoric” and that its “inclusion of an international ‘Board of Peace’…ensures the exclusion of Palestinian voices from the decision-making of Palestinian futures.”

A hidden U.S.-Israeli agenda has long been to control oil and gas fields off the Gaza coast that are estimated to be worth more than $500 billion.

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The US-Israel plan for Gaza: a paradise for the ruling class and its business interests

Donde Vamos?

Since 7 October 2023, we have been watching, virtually powerless, as genocide unfolds live before our eyes, simply because our leaders are compromised by the Zionist lobby. Today, both Trump and Israel have a plan for Gaza, and once again we find the good old lobby behind Trump's ‘peace plan,’ rejected on Friday, 3 October by Hamas, which consisted of handing over the keys to Gaza to a delegation of globalists.  But beyond territorial conquest, this plan for Gaza is a globalist, authoritarian utopia, which probably foreshadows what our societies will be like tomorrow if we let this ruling class have its way.

In February 2025, Trump spoke of his Riviera project in Gaza, where nearly 2 million people were crammed together before the Zionists began their process of total destruction. The plan, developed with his Israeli friends and Tony Blair, called for the deportation of the remaining population to create a luxury tourism and high-tech development site, officially under US supervision for 10 years.


Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

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Hamas just accepted Trump’s ‘peace’ plan. Here’s what it didn’t accept.

Qassam Muaddi | Mondoweiss

The response of Hamas to U.S. President Donald Trump's "peace" plan to end the war in Gaza came in late on Friday. It sparked immediate and conflicting reactions.

Five days after the U.S. president first announced his plan, the Palestinian movement gave its answer in a statement announcing that Hamas announced its "approval for the release of all hostages — living and dead - according to the exchange formula included in President Trump's proposal." Hamas added that it was ready to enter talks "to discuss the details."

 In a move practically unheard of by a U.S. president, Trump shared Hamas's statement on his account on Truth Social:

"Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting peace. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the hostages out safely and quickly!"

Minutes later, Trump announced Hamas's acceptance of his plan in a live address at the White House, considering the event "a big day, unprecedented in many ways." Trump added that he "looks forward to having all [Israeli] hostages come back to their parents," stressing that "we have to put the final word in concrete." The U.S. President thanked Arab and Muslim states for "helping me put this together," promising that "everybody will be treated fairly."

Hamas's response to Trump's plan came a day after the Israeli army sealed off Gaza City. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a "final warning" to the estimated 500,000 Palestinians still in the city, announcing that those who decide to remain will be considered "terrorists or supporters of terror."

Netanyahu 'surprised' amid international approval

Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey also accepted Hamas's response, while French President Emmanuel Macron said that the "release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are within reach," and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Hamas's response was "a significant step forwards." 

Trump's near-immediate positive response to the Hamas statement was reportedly met with "surprise" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an unnamed Israeli official who spoke to Israel's Channel 12. Netanyahu had held a deliberation on the Hamas response to Trump's plan before the U.S. President published his Truth Social statement. According to Channel 12, the Israeli Prime Minister considered the Hamas response a rejection of Trump's framework. 

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