UAE donates $200m for Gaza rebuilding efforts

The United Arab Emirates announced Sunday that it will contribute USD 200 million for reconstructing Gaza Strip after the devastating Israeli-war on the Palestinian people.
"The UAE calls for self-restraint and an end to the Israeli collective punishment," UAE Minister of Development and International Cooperation Lubna Al-Qassemi said at Cairo International Conference on Palestine and Reconstructing Gaza.
Al-Qassemi also condemned the recent Israeli incursion of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the continuous violation to Palestinian rights by Israel.
The minister added that UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahayan has ordered last June of allocating USD 25 million to help support the Palestinian people, in addition to other financial contribution which mount to USD 92 million, making the fifth largest contributor in the world to the Palestinian people.
Al-Qassemi expressed hope for further cooperation with the new Palestinian reconciliation government and to push forward Palestinian development projects.
Earlier, EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton called for unconditional support to the Palestinians and for Israel to lift restrictions on construction and development in the Strip.