President Donald Trump talks during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Oct. 9, 2025, joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. military has carried out another airstrike on an alleged drug cartel vessel on Tuesday night, according to two U.S. officials, this time in the Pacific Ocean.
It is the eighth known U.S. strike against an alleged drug boat since early September.
There were no survivors of Tuesday night’s strike and it is believed that two to three people aboard were killed, according to the officials.
Tuesday night’s strike occurred in the waters west of Central America, according to one of the officials. The other seven airstrikes targeted alleged drug cartel vessels in the Caribbean Sea.
It is now believed that at least 34 individuals have been killed in these strikes carried out by the U.S. military.
CBS News was first to report this latest airstrike.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released video of strike on social media on Wednesday. Hegseth confirmed the strike killed two people and took place in the Eastern Pacific. He wrote that no U.S. forces were harmed in the strike.
“Narco-terrorists intending to bring poison to our shores, will find no safe harbor anywhere in our hemisphere. Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people. There will be no refuge or forgiveness — only justice,” Hegseth posted on X.
The use of lethal military force is unprecedented and has raised legal questions. Past administrations relied on law enforcement to interdict drug shipments.The Trump administration’s defended the strikes as part of what they said is a “war” against cartels.
“They have faster boats. Some of these boats are seriously — I mean, they’re world-class speedboats — but they’re not faster than missiles,” Trump said last week.
Two people survived a U.S. strike earlier this month on a semi-submersible vessel in the Caribbean. Trump said that the survivors were being sent back to their home countries.
The Louvre looks empty during a normally busy Sunday on October 19, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Remon Haazen/Getty Images)
(PARIS) — The director of the Louvre in Paris took the hot seat on Wednesday, telling lawmakers she submitted her resignation following Sunday’s brazen daylight heist of more than $100 million in jewels from the museum’s orate Apollo Gallery.
Appearing in front of France’s Senate Culture Committee for two hours, Laurence des Cars, the president and director of the Louvre, said her resignation was rejected.
“Last Sunday, after acknowledging … the consequences of the terrible attack we had just suffered, I submitted my resignation to the Minister of Culture. She refused it,” des Cars said.
Amid mounting criticism over the colossal lapse in security at one of the world’s most famous museums, des Cars conceded, “We have been defeated.”
“This tragedy deeply shocked museum staff, fellow citizens, and admirers of the Louvre around the world,” said des Cars, reading an opening statement. “This is an immense wound that has been inflicted on us.”
Des Cars added, “This theft hurts our institution.”
Des Cars said all of the museum’s alarms worked, as did its video cameras, but noted a “weakness” in security.
“The weakness of the Louvre is its perimeter security, which has been a problem for a long time … certainly due to underinvestment,” des Cars told the lawmakers.
She said a “Grand Louvre renovation project” began 40 years ago “and has only affected half of the museum.”
“We did not spot the criminals arriving from outside early enough,” des Cars said.
She said the only camera installed outside the Apollo Gallery was facing west and did not cover the window where the thieves used power tools to break in.
“The security system, as installed in the Apollo Gallery, worked perfectly,” des Cars said. “The question that arises is how to adapt this system to a new type of attack and modus operandi that we could not have foreseen.”
Des Cars also said the fortified glass cases that held the stolen jewels from the collection of Emperor Napoleon and his wives were not broken but were cracked.
“The thieves tried to sneak their hands in, but the glass actually held,” des Cars said. “The high-quality display cases were designed to withstand attacks with weapons and to withstand the heavy materials used during last Sunday’s incident.”
Having said that, des Cars added, “Today we are witnessing a terrible failure at the Louvre. The security of the Louvre is one of my top priorities during my term of office, and I repeat that I was appalled by the museum’s security situation when I arrived in 2021.”
Des Cars said the 232-year-old museum’s “aging infrastructure” has hindered “the instalation of modern equipment.”
She said one way to improve security would be to place a police station within the museum.
“I would like to ask the Department of the Interior to look into whether it would be feasible to set up a police station within the museum,” des Cars said.
Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on Tuesday that those gems are estimated to be worth $102 million.
Des Cars testimony came as the Louvre reopened for the first time since Sunday’s robbery.
A large crowd of visitors was lined up when most of the Louvre reopened at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The Apollo Galley, still considered a crime scene, remained temporarily closed, according to the Louvre’s website.
In an interview with the French radio network RTL, Beccuau called the figure “spectacular,” but said it was nothing compared to the “historical loss caused by the theft.”
“We can maybe hope that [the perpetrators] think about it and won’t destroy these jewels for no reason,” Beccuau said.
Hundreds of police officers are a part of the ongoing investigation in the Louvre heist. There are four main suspects in the ongoing investigation, but it’s possible there were other accomplices, Beccuau said.
A nationwide manhunt for the Louvre thieves has been in high gear since the theft on Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that authorities would catch those responsible for the “attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history.”
The thieves went directly to two displays, breaking them and taking a “significant amount of loot,” French Culture Minister Rachida Dati told ABC News.
“They knew exactly where they were going,” Dati said. “It looks like something very organized and very professional.”
Dati said the evidence collected so far points to “organized crime,” but added that investigators have not ruled out that the heist could have been an inside job.
ABC News’ Aicha El Hammar Castano and Hugo Leenhardt contributed to this report.
The Louvre looks empty during a normally busy Sunday on October 19, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Remon Haazen/Getty Images)
(PARIS) — The director of the Louvre in Paris took the hot seat on Wednesday, answering questions from lawmakers amid mounting criticism over apparent security lapses that enabled thieves to pull off Sunday’s brazen daylight heist of more than $100 million in jewels from the museum’s ornate Apollo Gallery.
Laurence des Cars, the president and director of the Louvre, testified in front of France’s Senate Culture Committee, saying, “We have been defeated.”
“This tragedy deeply shocked museum staff, fellow citizens, and admirers of the Louvre around the world,” said des Cars, reading an opening statement. “This is an immense wound that has been inflicted on us.”
Des Cars added, “This theft hurts our institution.”
Des Cars said all of the museum’s alarms worked, as did its video cameras, but noted a “weakness” in security.
“The weakness of the Louvre is its perimeter security, which has been a problem for a long time … certainly due to underinvestment,” des Cars told the lawmakers.
She said a “Grand Louvre renovation project” began 40 years ago “and has only affected half of the museum.”
“We did not spot the criminals arriving from outside early enough,” des Cars said.
She said the only camera installed outside the Apollo Gallery was facing west and did not cover the window where the thieves used power tools to break in.
Des Cars said the 232-year-old museum’s “aging infrastructure” has hindered “the instalation of modern equipment.”
She said one way to improve security would be to place a police station within the museum.
“I would like to ask the Department of the Interior to look into whether it would be feasible to set up a police station within the museum,” des Cars said.
Some lawmakers have called for des Cars resignation in the wake of the robbery.
During her testimony on Wednesday, des Cars said she submitted her resignation and it was refused.
“Last Sunday, after acknowledging … the consequences of the terrible attack we had just suffered, I submitted my resignation to the Minister of Culture. She refused it,” des Cars said.
Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on Tuesday that those gems are estimated to be worth $102 million.
Des Cars testimony came as the Louvre reopened for the first time since Sunday’s robbery.
A large crowd of visitors was lined up when most of the Louvre reopened at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The Apollo Galley, still considered a crime scene, remained temporarily closed, according to the Louvre’s website.
In an interview with the French radio network RTL, Beccuau called the figure “spectacular,” but said it was nothing compared to the “historical loss caused by the theft.”
“We can maybe hope that [the perpetrators] think about it and won’t destroy these jewels for no reason,” Beccuau said.
Hundreds of police officers are a part of the ongoing investigation in the Louvre heist. There are four main suspects in the ongoing investigation, but it’s possible there were other accomplices, Beccuau said.
A nationwide manhunt for the Louvre thieves has been in high gear since the theft on Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that authorities would catch those responsible for the “attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history.”
The thieves went directly to two displays, breaking them and taking a “significant amount of loot,” French Culture Minister Rachida Dati told ABC News.
“They knew exactly where they were going,” Dati said. “It looks like something very organized and very professional.”
Dati said the evidence collected so far points to “organized crime,” but added that investigators have not ruled out that the heist could have been an inside job.
ABC News’ Léontine Gallois contributed to this report.
The Louvre looks empty during a normally busy Sunday on October 19, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Remon Haazen/Getty Images)
(PARIS) — The director of the Louvre in Paris took the hot seat on Wednesday, answering questions from lawmakers amid mounting criticism over apparent security lapses that enabled thieves to pull off Sunday’s brazen daylight heist of more than $100 million in jewels from the museum’s ornate Apollo Gallery.
Laurence des Cars, the president and director of the Louvre, testified in front of France’s Senate Culture Committee, saying, “We have been defeated.”
“This tragedy deeply shocked museum staff, fellow citizens, and admirers of the Louvre around the world,” said des Cars, reading an opening statement. “This is an immense wound that has been inflicted on us.”
Des Cars added, “This theft hurts our institution.”
Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on Tuesday that those gems are estimated to be worth $102 million.
A large crowd of visitors was lined up when most of the Louvre reopened at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The Apollo Galley, still considered a crime scene, remained temporarily closed, according to the Louvre’s website.
In an interview with the French radio network RTL, Beccuau called the figure “spectacular,” but said it was nothing compared to the “historical loss caused by the theft.”
“We can maybe hope that [the perpetrators] think about it and won’t destroy these jewels for no reason,” Beccuau said.
Hundreds of police officers are a part of the ongoing investigation in the Louvre heist. There are four main suspects in the ongoing investigation, but it’s possible there were other accomplices, Beccuau said.
A nationwide manhunt for the Louvre thieves has been in high gear since the theft on Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that authorities would catch those responsible for the “attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history.”
The thieves went directly to two displays, breaking them and taking a “significant amount of loot,” French Culture Minister Rachida Dati told ABC News.
“They knew exactly where they were going,” Dati said. “It looks like something very organized and very professional.”
Dati said the evidence collected so far points to “organized crime,” but added that investigators have not ruled out that the heist could have been an inside job.
Officials carry the children after the Russian missile attack on Kyiv, Ukraine on October 22, 2025. (Photo by Office of the President of Ukraine/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Russia overnight launched a heavy air attack on Ukraine — including striking Kyiv with drones and ballistic missiles — that killed at least six people, including two children.
It came hours after plans for President Donald Trump’s proposed summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to fall apart, leaving hopes of movement in the coming days towards ending the war once again in tatters.
Russia also directly struck a kindergarten in the eastern city of Kharkiv, according to Kyiv.
At least one drone hit the building where nearly 50 young children were inside, Ukrainian officials said.
Fortunately many or all were in its shelter, the local governor said.
“Fortunately, the children were in shelter during the alarm, and they were not injured,” the governor said on Telegram.”In total, 48 children were rescued by the State Emergency Service units. Four people were hospitalized, two of them are in serious condition, two are in moderate condition. Two more injured received outpatient medical care.”
Images released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine show firefighters carrying terrified toddlers to safety from the destroyed building.
Kharkiv’s regional State Emergency Service told ABC News one person had been killed and nine injured in the strikes on the city on Wednesday morning.
Forty-eight children were evacuated from the kindergarten. They are experiencing “acute stress reactions,” a spokesperson said.
Dozens of people also have had to be rescued in Kyiv after Russian drones and debris struck their high-rise apartment buildings.
President Volodymyr Zelensky noted the attacks showed Russia doesn’t “feel enough pressure for dragging out the war.”
The Louvre looks empty during a normally busy Sunday on October 19, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Remon Haazen/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — The Louvre Museum opened its doors at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning in Paris — the first time it has welcomed the public since Sunday’s robbery.
Meanwhile, the Louvre’s director, Laurence des Cars, is set to make a much-anticipated appearance in front of France’s Senate Culture Committee to answer questions regarding the museum’s security and what went wrong on Sunday when nine pieces were swiped from the museum’s Apollo Gallery.
On Tuesday, Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced that those gems are estimated to be worth $102 million.
In an interview with the French radio network RTL, Beccuau called the figure “spectacular,” but said it was nothing compared to the “historical loss caused by the theft.”
“We can maybe hope that [the perpetrators] think about it and won’t destroy these jewels for no reason,” Beccuau said.
Hundreds of police officers are a part of the ongoing investigation in the Louvre heist. There are four main suspects in the ongoing investigation, but it’s possible there were other accomplices, Beccuau said.
A nationwide manhunt for the Louvre thieves has been in high gear since the theft on Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that authorities would catch those responsible for the “attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history.”
The thieves went directly to two displays, breaking them and taking a “significant amount of loot,” French Culture Minister Rachida Dati told ABC News.
“They knew exactly where they were going,” Dati said. “It looks like something very organized and very professional.”
Dati said the evidence collected so far points to “organized crime,” but added that investigators have not ruled out that the heist could have been an inside job.
(LONDON) — As the alarms sounded at the Louvre Museum on Sunday morning, four suspects took off on two motorbikes, winding their way through central Paris, allegedly carrying with them a haul of “priceless” jewelry once worn by queens and made of sapphire, diamonds and emeralds.
They haven’t yet been found.
About 24 hours after the brazen theft of some of the most recognizable pieces of glittering French heritage, which were taken during daylight hours from the world’s most-visited museum, a manhunt and investigation are in full swing, according to state and law enforcement officials.
“The theft committed at the Louvre is an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history,” President Emmanuel Macron said on social media on Sunday.
He and other French officials vowed that the pieces would be returned and the suspects apprehended.
The museum closed on Sunday morning as police swarmed the area in search of suspects and evidence.
“Following yesterday’s robbery at the Louvre, the museum regrets to inform you that it will remain closed to the public today,” officials said on social media on Monday. “Visitors who have already booked tickets will be refunded.”
7 minutes, in and out, authorities say The suspects arrive in pairs, with two in a truck and two riding motorbikes, authorities said on Sunday. The truck was equipped with a moving ladder, a “mobile freight elevator” of the type city furniture movers sometimes use, Paris police said.
The suspects allegedly parked the truck on a road that runs along the side of the museum, near the Seine, police said.
They were wearing yellow vests, dressed as construction workers might be, police said. They took the time to secure the area near the truck by placing orange construction cones around it, police said.
They then used the ladder to get up to the second floor, climbing onto a thin balcony with a metal railing outside the museum’s Apollo Gallery, where some of the French crown jewels were kept, according to police.
Once they had used an angle grinder to open the window, they clambered through it, police said. Their entrance triggered the alarm, which was still sounding when they left, the museum said in a statement.
“Inside, they then smashed two display cases, ‘Napoleon jewels’ and ‘French crown jewels,’ using the angle grinder and stole numerous pieces of high-value jewelry,” police said.
When they left through the same window about seven minutes later, they had with them nine pieces of jewerly of “inestimable” value, as France’s interior minister described them on Sunday. Other officials, including Rachida Dati, the culture minister, described them to French media as “priceless.”
According to the French Ministry of Culture, among the items stolen was a diadem, or crown, from the collection of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense; an emerald necklace and a pair of emerald earrings from the collection of Marie-Louise, Napoleon’s second wife; and a large bow brooch from Empress Eugenie’s bodice.
The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said the perpetrators tried and failed to set fire to the mobile freight elevator they used in the heist before they fled the scene.
A ‘total’ investigation is underway Officials at the museum said in a statement that an investigation had been launched into the “organized theft and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime.”
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, which will oversee the case, tapped a specialized group of detectives, the Brigade for the Suppression of Banditry, which is part of the French National Police, to lead the investigation, according to the Louvre’s statement.
Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, told a local TV station on Sunday that about 60 investigators were working on the case, showing “total determination” to find those responsible.
As of Monday morning, police had not yet said whether they had any leads on the possible identities of the suspects.
Officials said the suspects appeared to have been professionals. Beccuau on Sunday described it as an organized crime, saying officials hadn’t ruled out possible foreign involvement, but also that investigators were treating it as a domestic case at the moment.
“Everything is being done to apprehend the perpetrators of this unacceptable act as quickly as possible,” Laurent Nunez, the interior minister, said on Sunday.
(HONG KONG) — An Emirates Boeing 747 cargo plane skidded off the runway after arriving at Hong Kong International Airport and landed in the sea, according to airport authority.
Two security personnel were killed in the incident that occurred at approximately 4 a.m. Monday morning, local time, according to Hong Kong police.
They were not aboard the plane, but were in a petrol car that fell off the runway at the same time as the aircraft. One individual was declared dead at the scene and the other after being transported to an area hospital, police said.
The personnel, both men and longtime employees of the airport, were rescued from inside the submerged vehicle that was over 22 feet under the surface of the water and about 16 feet away from the embankment, according to officials.
Police said they suspect the plane struck the ground vehicle as it fell off the runway.
Four crew members on board the plane were rescued and taken to the hospital, according to police.
The weather and runway were safe for operation at the time, according to Hong Kong Airport Authority, and the cargo plane never signaled any issue before veering left halfway down the north runway and crashing through the perimeter fencing and into the sea.
The plane had originally departed from Dubai, officials said.
The airport authority said rescue operations began immediately after the incident, and the Airport Emergency Centre has been activated. The airport’s north runway is closed.
According to FlightRadar24’s review of ADS-B data, when the plane hit the water, it was traveling at about 49 knots.
(PARIS) — Several people disguised as construction workers broke into the world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday, cracking open display cases and stealing jewelry that once belonged to Emperor Napoleon and his wife, officials said.
At least nine pieces of jewelry of “inestimable heritage and historical value” were taken in the brazen heist before the thieves made their getaway on motorcycles, two ministers said.
“Investigations have begun, and a precise list of the stolen items is underway,” the museum said in a statement.
Four thieves pulled off the apparently well-planned heist, according to authorities.
The theft took place around 9:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, just before the museum was set to open to the public, the Paris Police Prefecture said in a statement.
The team of thieves drove up to the side of the museum in what police described as a “mobile freight elevator” equipped with a metal ladder on the back that was extended up to a window, according to the Paris police.
“They deployed the freight elevator, securing the surroundings with construction cones, before accessing the second floor, in the Apollo gallery, by breaking the window with an angle grinder,” according to the police statement. “Inside, they then smashed two display cases, ‘Napoleon jewels’ and ‘French crown jewels,’ using the angle grinder and stole numerous pieces of high-value jewelry.”
Two of the thieves arrived at the museum in the mobile freight elevator, one wearing a yellow vest and the other an orange vest, according to police. Two accomplices arrived at the museum at the same time on what police described as “T-max vehicles” or sports motorbikes.
“The staff on site, upon seeing what was happening, took to safety,” according to the police statement. “An alarm was triggered at 9:37 a.m. The perpetrators exited through the window by going back down the freight elevator before fleeing on the two motorbikes at 9:38 a.m.”
Following the heist, police found two angle grinders, a blowtorch, gasoline, gloves, a walkie-talkie, a blanket, and a crown at the scene. Police also found a yellow vest that was apparently dropped by one of the fleeing perpetrators at the corner of Pont de Sully and Avenue Henri IV, several blocks from the Louvre, police said.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez in an interview on local radio said the value of the items would be “inestimable.”
The alleged robbery took about seven minutes, he said.
A notification posted on the Louvre’s website shortly afterward said, “The Louvre Museum will remain closed today for exceptional reasons. We thank you for your understanding.”
The decision to close the museum was made jointly by its management, the police and the Ministry of the Interior, museum officials said in a statement. The doors were closed as “a security measure and to preserve traces and evidence for the investigation,” the statement said.
Kaci Benedetti, who was visiting Paris from the United States, told ABC News she was standing in line to enter the museum on Sunday when a commotion began. Police were running along the courtyard where Benedetti and her family were waiting, she said.
She watched as the officers attempted to enter the building through a side door, but “could not because they were locked,” she said.
“We could see people inside running and some were banging on the glass doors to get out, but could not because they were locked,” Benedetti said. “Then police and military police arrived. After about an hour they announced the Louvre was closed for today.”
The news of the robbery came first from French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, who said on social media, “A robbery took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum.”
Dati added, “No injuries to report. I am on site alongside the museum teams and the police. Investigations underway.”
(NEW YORK) — With a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in effect, many questions about the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip remain. It may take decades, not years, to rebuild Gaza due to the massive destruction, an expert from the Brookings Institute told ABC News.
Under the ceasefire agreement, the Gaza Strip is set to be redeveloped for the Palestinian people. Jaco Cilliers, an official from United Nations Development Programme, said at a press conference on Tuesday that it had already cleared some 81,000 tons of rubble from the Gaza Strip and was continuing to do so.
However, it is unclear when reconstruction will begin and who will finance the effort, the Brookings Institute expert, Hady Amr, told ABC News.
“I don’t think there’s any modern comparison to what’s going to need to happen in the Gaza Strip right now,” Amr, the former U.S. representative for Palestinian affairs from 2022 until 2025, said. “The level of destruction and devastation is just absolutely immense.”
About 83% of all buildings in Gaza City alone were damaged as of Sept. 23, according to the United Nations Satellite Center. About 40% of those buildings were destroyed.
“Imagine not just your house was destroyed, your block was destroyed, your neighborhood was destroyed, but 80 to 90% of the universe that you have access to,” Amr said.
Schools, hospitals, as well as water and electricity infrastructure have all been devastated during the two-year war from Israel’s extensive military campaign on the Gaza Strip, Amr said.
“It’s just going to be incredibly difficult for people to just even continue to survive while the reconstruction takes place,” Amr said.
Israel has faced heavy criticism and condemnation over its military action in Gaza from humanitarian rights groups and aid groups.
In September, the International Association of Genocide Scholars — the world’s largest group of academic scholars studying the topic — passed a resolution saying Israel’s “policies and actions” in Gaza “meet the legal definition of genocide,” established by the U.N. in 1948.
Israel has denied that it is committing a genocide in Gaza and denied claims that it has targeted civilian infrastructure. As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israel has agreed to allow into Gaza higher volumes of much needed aid.
Recovery Significant amounts of equipment and supplies will be needed to begin recovery, another expert said.
“With the rubble and the massive destruction, there is also concern that there are a number of victims, of bodies, that are buried in that rubble — they would also need to be exhumed,” Mona Yacoubian, the director and senior adviser of the Middle East Program at the bipartisan, nonprofit think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ABC News.
Before reconstruction can begin, there need to be areas that are safe and cleared of unexploded ordnance, Yacoubian said. Amr echoed this point, noting that removing unexploded ordnance and removing rubble will both be a “massive issue” that could take years.
There needs to be a restoration of services like running water and electricity in the meantime, according to Yacoubian.
“There’s going to need to be a massive scale up of life saving assistance just to ensure that people are getting food and medical assistance and also shelter, so perhaps tents, and all the kinds of things that are required,” she said.
The ceasefire agreement ensures humanitarian aid can resume entry into Gaza immediately at a larger scale.
“At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads,” the agreement released by the White House said.
Since the ceasefire went into effect on Oct. 10, it’s unclear how much additional humanitarian aid has been allowed into Gaza, though Israel has long maintained they have always allowed enough aid into Gaza.
The UN and other international aid organizations have reported they are able to move more freely around Gaza in areas where the IDF has withdrawn, but additional border crossing points have yet to open.
Challenges ahead Many challenges lie ahead, starting with whether this is really the end of the conflict, according to Amr.
“The central challenges today are ending the war, getting Israel to end its military occupation, and then we need to get to a situation where there can be a security force that comes in to provide basic security. Once that happens, that’s when reconstruction can start,” Amr said.
He highlighted another issue in the reconstruction.
“Freedom of movement of people and goods, that is the central challenge. Palestinians have the skills and knowledge and in fact, much of the Persian Gulf was built with Palestinian knowledge, know-how and manpower. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have long worked in Israel as construction workers,” Amr said.
“It’s just a question of getting access to having the basic freedom to import what they need to get going,” he added.
Who will pay? It will take about $70 billion to rebuild Gaza, according to an operational damage and needs assessment conducted jointly by the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank.
European and Arab nations, Canada and the U.S. appear willing to contribute to the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild Gaza, the UN official said on Tuesday.
“We’ve heard very positive news from a number of our partners, including European partners… Canada” regarding their willingness to help, the official, Cillers, told a press conference, adding that there were also discussions with the U.S.
Oil-rich Arab Gulf states will likely be willing to pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, according to Amr and Yacoubian. Egypt could also provide a “logistical base,” he noted.
“United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, I think, are all poised to potentially fund this. Turkey, I think has a great interest in doing it, but their relations with Israel ar. … at a low point,” Amr said.
However, Yacoubian expressed her belief that more progress towards Palestinian statehood needs to be achieved before countries will commit.
“I think that we could certainly see Gulf countries funding it, but they have signaled that they will not fund reconstruction in Gaza in the absence of a longer-term solution to the conflict. And in particular, they are looking to see demonstrated progress on a path toward Palestinian statehood,” Yacoubian said.
