International donors have pledged a total of $5.4bn to help rebuild war-stricken Gaza at a conference in Cairo, Egypt.
Boerge Brende, the Norwegian Foreign Minister, who made the disclosure on Sunday, said the total pledge, which exceeded the $4bn the Palestinian government requested for, was a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian people in general.
“This is a major breakthrough, a very important signal of solidarity to the Palestinian people in general and not at least to the people that are suffering so badly in Gaza,” Brende said.
Of the total pledge, the US committed $212m in new aid, while the United Arab Emirates and Turkey both offered $200m. The government of Qatar equally offered $1bn.
Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian president, at the opening of the conference urged both the people and the government of Israel to put an end to the conflict.
“We should turn this moment into a real starting point to achieve a peace that secures stability and flourishing and renders the dream of coexistence a reality,” Sisi said.
About 100,000 residents of Gaza were rendered homeless in the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, who have fought three wars in six years.
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