Turkiye's Erdogan urges world to 'immediately' start rebuilding Gaza

UNITED NATIONS: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that the world must immediately start the reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip.

"We must begin the reconstruction of Gaza immediately," he told the United Nations General Assembly, urging world leaders to "exert greater pressure on Israel".

Since Hamas fighters launched their Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel, triggering a massive response, the tiny Palestinian territory has been devastated by countless Israeli airstrikes, which by October 2025 had left 84 per cent of all structures damaged or destroyed, UN figures show.

Despite a US-brokered ceasefire in October 2025, Israel has continued its airstrikes and restricted entry of equipment that international NGOs say is needed for the territory's reconstruction, which has yet to begin.

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According to a joint assessment published by the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Union in April, Gaza will require US$71.4 billion in recovery and reconstruction spending over the next decade.

Erdogan also urged all nations that have yet to recognise Palestine as an independent state to "reconsider", with his words prompting the Israeli delegation to walk out of the hall.

"I would like to call upon all those countries who have yet not recognised the state of Palestine to reconsider their decisions," he said.

A year ago, France led a special UN summit to recognise a Palestinian state at which 10 countries formally made the move, among them Britain, Canada and Australia, bringing the number of UN member states to do so to around 157, more than four-fifths of the UN membership.