Saudi Arabia Pushes for Gaza Reconstruction and Unobstructed Aid

Saudi Arabia has called for accelerated recovery efforts in Gaza and unrestricted humanitarian access ahead of winter, while urging full implementation of the next phase of the ceasefire and reconstruction plan.

Dr. Manal Radwan, adviser and special envoy to the Saudi foreign minister for negotiations and peace efforts, represented the Kingdom at a high-level roundtable in New York on Wednesday focused on consolidating peace and advancing Gaza’s early recovery, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The meeting, titled “From Sharm El-Sheikh to Phase II: Consolidating Peace and Early Recovery,” was hosted by Egypt and co-chaired by France, Germany and the European Commission, with regional and international partners, UN organizations and representatives of the Board of Peace also taking part.

Radwan called on all parties to uphold the outcomes of the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit, complete the first phase of the ceasefire, and continue implementing phase two of the US-backed Comprehensive Plan, along with UN Security Council Resolution 2803, while ensuring Palestinians retain ownership of the process. The Security Council adopted Resolution 2803 in November 2025, endorsing the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, calling for its full implementation, welcoming the creation of the Board of Peace as a transitional administration, and authorizing a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza. Phase two of the plan, launched in January, included establishing a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, with the UN secretary-general saying at the time that recovery and reconstruction should support the emergence of a credible political path forward.

Radwan praised Egypt’s role in securing a cessation of hostilities and supporting humanitarian relief and early recovery efforts in Gaza. She also expressed concern over deteriorating humanitarian conditions as winter approaches, stressing that aid needs to reach Gaza without obstacles or preconditions, and, according to the Saudi Press Agency, rejected any politicization of humanitarian assistance or its use as a tool of pressure or a means of displacing Palestinians.

Her remarks align with warnings from humanitarian organizations about worsening conditions in the territory. During an August UN Security Council meeting, speakers described Gaza’s humanitarian situation as approaching an absolute breaking point ahead of winter, with roughly 2 million people still in the enclave.

Saudi Arabia has continued supporting Gaza through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, known as KSrelief. Radwan said the center has carried out about 160 projects in Palestine worth nearly 500 million dollars, and that the Kingdom has provided 120 million dollars in direct support to the Palestinian government, alongside continued backing for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. Recent efforts include an emergency water project KSrelief launched in Gaza in August, designed to deliver about 500,000 liters of safe drinking water daily to displacement camps via tankers, benefiting nearly 100,000 people, building on four desalination plants the center previously established in Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah.

Radwan closed by reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s commitment to working with international partners to accelerate Gaza’s recovery, preserve the unity of Palestinian territory, and strengthen the institutions of the Palestinian Authority, saying these efforts should help create the conditions for a just and lasting peace.

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