By Ola Attalah
GAZA CITY
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon arrived Tuesday in the Gaza Strip on a few hours' visit to the embattled Palestinian enclave which witnessed a devastating Israeli onslaught recently.
Ban arrived in the enclave after crossing the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel, an Anadolu Agency correspondent reported.
While in Israel, Ban met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu among several senior officials and political leaders.
He also met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in Ramallah.
Ban's trip to the region came after visiting Cairo, where he attended an international donor conference for rebuilding the Gaza Strip. He said he is visiting the enclave to "listen directly to the people of Gaza."
Representatives from 50 countries, including 30 foreign ministers, attended the Sunday conference, along with the representatives of several international and regional organizations.
Conference attendees pledged to donate $5.4 billion for the Palestinians, an amount of money half of which will go to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which was ravaged by a ferocious 51-day Israeli offensive in July and August.
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