"Israel Including Its Allies Should Fund Gaza Reconstruction"

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, has said the financial burden of rebuilding the Gaza Strip must be borne by "Israel" and several of its principal allies, including the United States, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Speaking on Friday at an event hosted by the Open Data Institute Global Research Center in London, Albanese argued that responsibility for Gaza’s reconstruction lies not only with "Israel" but also with states that have politically, militarily, and materially enabled the devastation of the besieged enclave.

Accountability, she said, must extend beyond Tel Aviv to those entities that supported what she described as atrocities committed since October 2023, when "Israel" launched a Western-backed genocide that has left much of Gaza in ruins.

Albanese stressed that the current crisis cannot be understood in isolation, urging audiences to view recent developments through the lens of Palestine’s longer colonial history. She said the violence of the past two years reflects patterns that have defined the territory for decades.

Her remarks appeared to reference "Israel’s" repeated violations of a ceasefire agreement intended to halt the war, violations that have continued to claim hundreds of lives in addition to the tens of thousands already killed.

The UN rapporteur also drew comparisons between Israeli policies and practices and those employed during the British colonial period in Palestine, citing the use of administrative detention and torture as methods that mirror earlier forms of repression used against Palestinians.

Albanese demands immediate global response

Addressing the personal impact of her advocacy, Albanese said US sanctions imposed over her outspoken defense of Palestinian rights have significantly disrupted both her professional and private life. She said the measures have restricted her ability to travel to the United States and prevented her from opening bank accounts, with effects that extend beyond US jurisdiction.

Reiterating her call for financial accountability, Albanese said "Israel" must be held responsible for funding Gaza’s reconstruction, while countries supplying weapons, including the United States, Germany, and Italy, must also shoulder responsibility for the destruction.

She added that Britain’s role, including its support through military infrastructure linked to Cyprus, warrants further investigation.

Calling for urgent action, Albanese urged the international community to activate accountability mechanisms without delay, warning that the humanitarian situation across the Palestinian territories continues to deteriorate and demands an immediate global response.

It is worth noting that Gaza's Government Media Office revealed back in January that the Israeli destruction of Gaza impacted 90% of its infrastructure, calling on the international community, as well as international organizations and Arab nations, to open crossings and deliver the essential necessities to shelter the Palestinian people.

Gaza's mass suffering spirals as Israeli blockade starves winter aid

Gaza's Government Media Office warned last week that the Strip is on the brink of a full-scale humanitarian collapse, with 1.5 million displaced Palestinians trapped in makeshift camps that were never built to withstand the intensifying winter storms battering the Strip.

Director Ismail al-Thawabta described scenes of mass suffering and total abandonment, saying that hundreds of thousands of families are struggling to survive "in worn-out tents shredded by genocide and relentless weather." He stressed that conditions are deteriorating "at a terrifying pace" as freezing temperatures, heavy rains, and flooding sweep across Gaza, turning displacement sites into uninhabitable swamps.

Despite an announced ceasefire more than two months ago, al-Thawabta said the blockade continues to suffocate the territory. Gaza urgently requires 300,000 new tents, yet Israeli restrictions have allowed only 20,000 to enter, an amount he called "absurdly insufficient" for a population living entirely outdoors. Previous storms have already "flooded tens of thousands of tents and turned the camps into vast pools of mud and contaminated water," leaving families exposed to hypothermia, disease, and sewage overflow.

The scale of destruction is staggering: over 22,000 tents have been completely destroyed, stripping families of tarpaulins, insulation, blankets, and any form of shelter. Emergency structures have collapsed, temporary water networks have failed, and rainwater is mixing with sewage, raising the threat of cholera and other waterborne diseases.

Adding to the desperation, at least 10 mobile medical points are offline, crucial supplies remain blocked, and medical teams cannot reach the injured or the sick. "Displaced Palestinians have lost the bare minimum of life's necessities," al-Thawabta warned, saying people are left defenseless against the cold, the wind, and the unending downpour, a situation he described as "engineered vulnerability" resulting from the continued siege.

UNRWA issued its own sharp warning, saying that winter rains in Gaza are "bringing new hardships," with flooded streets and soaked tents "making already dire living conditions even more dangerous." The agency stressed that "cold, overcrowded, and unsanitary environments heighten the risk of illness and infection," warning that disease outbreaks could spread rapidly through the densely packed camps.