Destruction in Gaza
Destruction in GazaReuters

The international donors’ conference on rebuilding Gaza, which began on Sunday in Cairo, left out Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s key demand for Gaza to be demilitarized.

During Israel’s self-defense Operation Protective Edge in Gaza this past summer, Netanyahu demanded that the rehabilitation of Gaza be linked to its demilitarization. However, officials admitted to Channel 2 News on Sunday evening that in reality, the rehabilitation of Gaza was not contingent upon its demilitarization but only on a ceasefire.

Israel will demand the demilitarization, the officials said, in return for the continued development of the coastal enclave.

Hamas has repeatedly declared that it would reject any attempts to disarm the terrorist groups in Gaza, while issuing an unprecedented demand for a port and an airport and for terrorist releases, which Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has rejected.

It should be noted that Egypt decided not to invite Israel to attend the rebuilding conference and that the talks between Israel and Palestinian Arab factions, which ended on August 26 with an open-ended truce agreement, are separate from this conference.

"Israel has nothing to do at this gathering of donors in Cairo," political officials told Channel 2 News on Sunday. "We are donating anything to the rebuilding of Gaza.”