Israeli tech entrepreneur says Gaza needs to reconnect to the world

Answering Gaza's needs requires reconnecting it to the world digitally and economically, an Israeli tech entrepreneur said Thursday.

Liran Tancman, a former Israeli Intelligence Corps official and a co-founder of the Israeli Cyber Command, was speaking during the inaugural meeting of the US-led Board of Peace in Washington, DC.

Since Oct. 7, 2023 as a result of Israel's attacks, most of the infrastructure in Gaza, including telecommunications, has been damaged or become unusable.

Gaza was once a vital trade hub between Asia and Europe, making this reconnection a return to its historical roots, said Tancman.

The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) is actively building a secure digital backbone and an open platform that enables e-payments, financial services, e-learning and health care while keeping users in control of their data, he noted.

He said this effort receives significant support from regional partners, noting that Palestinian, Arab and US partners were brought together to deliver practical solutions for the region.

In parallel, an Amazon-like logistics system is advancing to help Palestinians launch businesses, import goods globally and trade securely, he said.

This initiative will lower prices, drive growth and help transform Gaza into an open, transparent and corruption-free economic zone, he noted.

He said NCAG was also consulted on how to unlock Gaza's potential, yielding to a clear demand to replace corruption with an open, tax-free system.

Tancman was among the founders of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which was established during Israel's months-long strict blockade of Gaza. GHF is known for attacks targeting civilians waiting for food at aid distribution centers.

He has also collaborated with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), which was mentioned in connection with a plan to relocate Gazans, but TBI rejected this previously.

Tancman also helped develop the concept of requiring Palestinians to undergo biometric vetting to receive aid as early as 2015, according to the pan-Arab news platform Daraj Media.

Human Rights Watch and the UN have strongly criticized this system, saying that aid distribution areas have been turned into de facto intelligence gathering and "targeting" points for the Israeli army.