“To be able to move forward, conflicts and fighting in such zones should stop,” El-Sisi said during the WYF session titled ‘The International Responsibility for Post-Conflict Areas’ Reconstruction.’ 

He said reconstruction cannot be achieved in the manner hoped without the cessation of violence.

“When there is no chance to end conflicts, there will be no available opportunities for reconstruction or access to needed funding,” he said. 

There is a difference between mitigating the impact of the crisis — whether through providing food and medical aid — and reconstructing a state that has faced war, he said. 

“Reconstruction is not only limited to money, but there is also a humanitarian, psychological, and social dimension due to the crisis.” 

He called on the leaders of conflict-stricken countries to consider a different perspective to end conflicts to allow states to help in alleviating its impact. 

El-Sisi also warned that “a change by force could lead to havoc that cannot be controlled.” 

“This could’ve happened in Egypt. A country of 100 million could have been in a state of crisis,” he said. 

His statements come after several key speakers, including Sahar Al-Jabury, the United Nations’ Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) chief representative in Cairo, shared insights about reconstruction post-conflict, especially in the Gaza Strip. 

Al-Jabury said that El-Sisi was the first Egyptian president to call on the international community to fund the agency in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, expressing her appreciation. 

She said that the UNRWA depends on Egypt’s role to call on international partners to continue supporting the agency to help the Gaza Strip recover from the crisis it finds itself in. 

The session also tackled the crisis in Yemen, which continues to slide into political chaos in which the UN describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. 

El-Sisi pledged $500 million last year to rebuild Gaza with the participation of Egyptian companies after Israel cracked down on Palestinian demonstrators protesting Israel’s plan to forcibly expel Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah district in East Jerusalem in May.

The Israeli bombing of Gaza claimed over 250 Palestinian lives, including many women and children, while over 8,000 have been wounded.

“We were hoping to contribute even more than the payment pledged,” he said, ordering the completion of the reconstruction of the strip.