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| Blair: Gaza must be peace focus | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Former UK prime minister Tony Blair has said the people of Gaza should be the focus "of all efforts" to bring peace to the Middle East. | Former UK prime minister Tony Blair has said the people of Gaza should be the focus "of all efforts" to bring peace to the Middle East. |
| Mr Blair promised to relay appeals for assistance to a meeting of world leaders on Monday. | |
| Mr Blair was speaking on his first visit to Gaza since his appointment as Middle East peace envoy. | Mr Blair was speaking on his first visit to Gaza since his appointment as Middle East peace envoy. |
| His visit comes a day before a conference on the reconstruction of Gaza following Israel's invasion. | |
| Speaking at a UN-run school in in the northern town of Izbet Beit Hanoun, near the border with Israel, Mr Blair said: "I wanted to come to hear for myself first-hand from people in Gaza, whose lives have been so badly impacted by the recent conflict. | Speaking at a UN-run school in in the northern town of Izbet Beit Hanoun, near the border with Israel, Mr Blair said: "I wanted to come to hear for myself first-hand from people in Gaza, whose lives have been so badly impacted by the recent conflict. |
| "These are the people who need to be the focus of all our efforts for peace and progress from now on." | "These are the people who need to be the focus of all our efforts for peace and progress from now on." |
| Homes destroyed | Homes destroyed |
| He said he would relay "their account of events, their assessment of what is needed for reconstruction, their goals for rebuilding a vibrant sector" to an international conference on Gaza reconstruction on Monday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh. | He said he would relay "their account of events, their assessment of what is needed for reconstruction, their goals for rebuilding a vibrant sector" to an international conference on Gaza reconstruction on Monday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh. |
| During his visit Mr Blair, who is the Middle East representative of the European Union, Russia, the UN and the US, is due to meet Gaza business leaders and the UN director of operations in Gaza, John Ging. | During his visit Mr Blair, who is the Middle East representative of the European Union, Russia, the UN and the US, is due to meet Gaza business leaders and the UN director of operations in Gaza, John Ging. |
| The BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen said they would discuss how to repair parts of the territory damaged in the recent war in December and January. | The BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen said they would discuss how to repair parts of the territory damaged in the recent war in December and January. |
| Around 1,300 Palestinians, of whom 412 were children, were killed during the Israeli offensive and 21,000 homes were destroyed or badly damaged. | Around 1,300 Palestinians, of whom 412 were children, were killed during the Israeli offensive and 21,000 homes were destroyed or badly damaged. |
| Mr Blair is not due to meet members of the governing party Hamas, although the visit has been co-ordinated with them. | Mr Blair is not due to meet members of the governing party Hamas, although the visit has been co-ordinated with them. |