Gaza receives engineering equipment from Egypt to rebuild strip

A convoy of bulldozers provided by Egypt arrives at the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian Gaza Strip enclave on June 4, 2021. (AFP)

• Egypt played a major role in brokering a ceasefire between both sides
• The country said it would allocate $500 million to fund the rebuilding of devastated areas in Gaza

CAIRO: The Gaza Strip on Friday received engineering equipment from Egypt to begin the reconstruction process following the 11-day Israeli war.

The equipment will help to remove rubble from buildings destroyed as a result of Israeli airstrikes.

It was received by flag-waving Palestinians and came after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s commitment to rapidly improve the living conditions of Gazans.

He previously announced that the country would provide $500 million for the Gaza Strip's reconstruction, an initiative that was welcomed at regional and international levels.

Official sources said the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt would remain open on Fridays as an exception to receive medical emergency cases and for the transfer of aid and reconstruction material to the strip, based on the approval of Egyptian authorities.

Administrative and medical staff are present at the crossing to facilitate the entry of injured people and those accompanying them.

Also present is a fleet of ambulances equipped to transport patients to Egyptian hospitals once their health conditions have been classified.