The Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS), in collaboration with the Hikama Journal of Public Administration and Public Policy, held a three-day workshop entitled “Towards Palestinian Frameworks for Reconstruction in the Gaza Strip." The workshop took place in Doha, Qatar, on 24 January 2026 and ran in parallel with the fourth Annual Palestine Forum, organised by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and the Institute for Palestine Studies.
The workshop convened scholars and researchers who presented twelve peer-reviewed papers in four panel discussions, alongside Palestinian experts who actively engaged in dedicated roundtables. This event is part of CHS's enduring efforts to centre Palestinian agency at the heart of the ongoing debate on post-conflict reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and to develop independent, sustainable pathways for recovery led by Palestinian actors amid the continuing genocidal war.
During the Opening Session, Dr Ghassan Elkahlout, CHS Director, stated that “the workshop comes at a highly significant moment, amid the escalation of international proposals being advanced under the title of 'Reconstructing Gaza,' while at their core they represent an attempt to redefine Gaza and the Palestinian cause outside the framework of rights and sovereignty." He added that “what is being put forward today cannot be read as a purely technical reconstruction project, but rather as a trajectory that replaces politics with administration, rights with projects, and sovereignty with tutelage, while excluding Palestinians from the equation of decision-making over their land and future."
The workshop was guided by a core mission: to place Palestinian voices, expertise, and issues of sovereignty, along with Palestinian-led strategies, at the centre of any reconstruction vision. It aimed to confront externally imposed plans, which risk reproducing relations of dependency and domination, thereby transforming reconstruction into a tool for crisis management rather than a process for addressing root causes.
Abdel Fattah Madi, Editor-in-Chief of Hikama Journal, also affirmed in his remarks that the workshop is part of a special issue entitled “Reconstruction Policies in the Arab World after Wars," which examines the region's transformations in the aftermath of conflicts and analyses the political, economic, and social challenges facing reconstruction efforts. He explained that the participating papers present practical alternatives and policy proposals open to discussion and implementation, and that they will be published subsequently in a special issue of the journal.
Throughout the panel discussion and the roundtables, the workshop provided an open space for deconstructing conventional reconstruction models, particularly those based on technocratic approaches and disaster capitalism, that ignore the context of settler colonialism and the ongoing siege. Participants emphasised that such approaches marginalise fundamental Palestinian rights, thereby emptying reconstruction of its political and ethical content, reducing it to the logic of managing minimum living conditions instead of ensuring dignified life and sovereign rights. Discussions underscored that the Palestinians' right to remain on their land and their right to self-determination constitute the non-negotiable foundation of any legitimate reconstruction process.
During the first roundtable, “Gaza after the Ceasefire: The Humanitarian Reality and the Limits of Recovery," participants addressed the catastrophic humanitarian conditions and the limits of early recovery approaches. The discussion underscored the social and political dimensions of reconstruction, the dangers of excluding local actors from international aid structures, and the central role of Palestinian civil society and women in strengthening resilience and advancing reconstruction efforts.
In the second roundtable, “Governance: Who Governs Gaza," the question of governance was raised as a core element in any vision for reconstruction. Participants discussed the need for legitimate Palestinian governance frameworks that reflect local will, free themselves from external tutelage, and ensure Palestinian ownership of the reconstruction process.
The third session focused intensively on the concept of security as a political and ethical question, during the roundtable entitled “Whose Security: Toward the Protection of Palestinians." The discussion emphasised the necessity of formulating a protection framework centred on Palestinians and their needs, rather than subjecting them to external security regimes that reproduce conditions of marginalisation and suffering.
Meanwhile, the fourth roundtable, “Reconstruction Policies: From Displacement to Recovery," stressed that reconstruction cannot be reduced to technical aspects and physical infrastructure alone, but must instead constitute a comprehensive societal project aimed at restoring life and dignity.
A central insight that emerged during the workshop was that the crisis must not be addressed solely from a technical planning perspective, as it fundamentally concerns the model of governance underpinning the reconstruction process. What is required is a radical shift in approach—one that redefines reconstruction as an extension of the Palestinian right to self-determination, rather than a tool for political pacification or population management. Within this framework, discussions yielded strategic insights for strengthening local governance, empowering civil society, and designing frameworks that ensure reconstruction embodies the values of dignity, accountability, and justice, paving the way for a future determined by Palestinians themselves.
The workshop's outcomes will be translated into a series of knowledge outputs, including an in-depth report, opinion articles, and policy papers, to serve as a primary reference for policymakers, advocates, and all stakeholders committed to a just and sustainable recovery for the Gaza Strip.