Top Egyptian official on rebuilding Gaza

We've seen Israel carry out airstrikes. We see Hamas essentially operating as an armed force on the ground. Is that adhering to the spirit of the deal that was agreed here in Egypt? Well, I think we're under no illusion that obviously, in the process of trying to see the consolidation of this agreement, that obviously there will be some challenges along the way. And I think there's a reason why this conflict has extended for eight decades. It is a difficult conflict with a lot of set of intricate and complex issues that we have to deal with. So we're under no illusion. Obviously, we do understand that there may be some setbacks occasionally. But I think when we see the momentum that is there, the drive that is there, and the necessity to really pull this through by all of the members of the region and the United States, we are comforted and quite optimistic to see that we're able to push this through. Why is your country's role so pivotal here? Well, historically we have been very supportive of the Palestinian cause. We are a country which wants to see peace, stability, and security in the Middle East. As you may recall, Egypt was really the pioneering country which really started this from the beginning in the 1970s when Egypt signed a peace treaty with the state of Israel. So we see it as part of our political ethos, that we really want to achieve peace between Arabs and Israelis. And we want to see this come to closure between Palestinians and Israelis. We want to see a light at the end of the tunnel. We want to see a glimmer of hope for the Palestinian people where they can exercise their right for self-determination and have an independent country of their own. So Egypt is a force for good in this region. We are working with our American partners in order to achieve peace, security, and stability for over four decades. And therefore, we will continue to exert all of our efforts in order to achieve this vision that we have. Will Egypt lead the peacekeeping force that is envisioned for Gaza by President Trump? Well, we're looking closely at the International Stabilization Force. Obviously, we support the concept of having an International Stabilization Force in Gaza. There are discussions underway with our American partners and other regional partners about a set of elements that need to be addressed. First, the composition. Which countries are going to contribute to this force, and what is the totality of the contributions of these countries? Second, we are addressing the issue of structure. What is the hierarchical structure of the International Stabilization Force? Meaning, what is the chain of command? What is the decision making process? All of these issues need to be addressed. There's also the issue of mandate. Is this going to be a peacekeeping force, or is it going to be peace enforcement? We believe that this force needs to be mandated by the Security Council, by virtue of the fact that the Security Council is the primary international body entrusted with the maintenance of international peace and security. Therefore, we are working with partner countries in order to see a United Nations Security Council resolution being passed that would endorse this International Stabilization Force. And also, there's the issue of duration. How long is the ISF going to continue to be present within Gaza? We believe that the ISF needs to be transitional, meaning that it should be a segue for the Palestinian Authority to come back and return and conduct its governing authorities by the virtue of the fact that it is the legitimate and lawful authority that should be governing the Palestinian people. So the International Stabilization Force, there are certain elements here. Composition, structure, mandate, and duration. Still, given the dire situation in Gaza, is there time? Well, we are trying to exert all of the efforts possible in order to ensure that we're moving into the second phase of this agreement. Again, they are complicated issues. Some of these issues we have to deal with simultaneously. Some of the other issues, we have to deal with them sequentially. I think with the momentum that is there, with the steadfast leadership of the United States, with the commitment that we have here in Egypt and many other Arab countries, I think we can really try to ensure that we are moving in a direction that caters to the aspirations of people. What is needed at this moment, really, between both parties, Israel and Hamas, is to see political perseverance. This is a time when we need to see diligence by both parties, political resolve to ensure that this agreement is consolidated, it is cemented, and that it does not unravel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that he does not see a Palestinian state. That must be hard to navigate. We believe that the Palestinian people deserve to have a country of their own. They have the right to exercise the right for self-determination, and that they want freedom and liberty and independence. And these are precisely American values, that the United States believes in freedom and liberty and independence, and that's precisely Palestinian aspirations. So American values are in complete sync with Palestinian aspirations. Egypt will be hosting a donor conference to bring together partners from around the world to help reconstruct Gaza. How important is that conference in order to bring the world together to create a future for Gaza, which in this moment seems almost impossible? It's of absolute importance. The international community needs to be shoulder to shoulder in this endeavor. We have received very positive indications and constructive indications by many donor countries and international financial institutions and countries in the region, that they will be supportive of this conference. It will be a pledging conference in the second half of November. But it's really a monumental task, and we will need approximately $60 to $70 billion in order to reconstruct Gaza. Our initial assessment back in March was almost $50 billion, but in the past six months there has been more damage inflicted on the critical infrastructure in Gaza. So our estimate now is that we will be in need of almost $60 to $70 billion. We still haven't made it to phase 2 yet. When do you think that might happen? Well, I think progressively and steadily. These are sequential phases that we are moving into. We have already achieved positive results over the course of the past few weeks. Israeli bombardment of Gaza, with the exception of the incident, has been halted. The release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees has been conducted. The remains of Israeli bodies are steadily and progressively being provided to Israel. So there has been incremental, steady, and progressive steps that have been taken in the right direction. And all of this is really good momentum to move in the second phase. I don't have an explicit time as to when we will move into the second phase, but there's already ongoing discussions on some of the elements of the second stage, including what we've just discussed on the security arrangements, on issues of transitional governance and on reconstruction. So I don't expect it to be too long.