In early March 2009, governments pledged almost 4.5 billion US dollars to help rebuild Gaza. But in a statement before the conference ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger said that reconstruction plans were “unlikely to succeed unless there is a prospect of a lasting peace.”



Humanitarian action, he said, can be no substitute for an “honest and courageous peace process involving all parties concerned… To go back to the way things were before the recent conflict would simply perpetuate Gaza's plight.” He said the most urgent measure should be to end Gaza’s isolation, by lifting restrictions on people and goods.

Until that happens, some areas of the Strip will continue to look like landscapes of utter devastation.