Even if President Donald Trump succeeds in getting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s signature on a peace deal, the world will face a new and monumental challenge: rebuilding a shattered Gaza. The “day after” the ink dries will mark the beginning of one of the largest and most complex reconstruction efforts in modern history.
The scale of the devastation from the nearly two-year war is difficult to comprehend. Entire cities have been reduced to rubble. Critical infrastructure—power plants, water treatment facilities, hospitals, and schools—has been destroyed. The economy is non-existent, and the majority of the population is homeless and dependent on aid.
The U.S. plan accounts for this with a proposal for a massive, internationally-funded reconstruction program, likely costing tens of billions of dollars. This effort, to be managed by the proposed “Gaza International Transitional Authority,” would involve not just physical rebuilding but also the restoration of social services and civil institutions.
This task is fraught with peril. It will require a secure environment, free from the threat of renewed fighting. It will demand unprecedented international cooperation and a transparent system to ensure that funds are not diverted to extremist groups. It will also require a long-term political commitment from the global community.
While the focus on Monday is rightly on securing a peace agreement, the leaders must also be clear-eyed about the immense task that lies ahead. A successful peace deal is not an end point; it is merely the starting line for the long and arduous marathon of rebuilding a society that has been utterly broken by war.