Middle East envoy Tony Blair has visited Gaza, his first such trip to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory since being appointed two years ago.
'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,' he said in a statement.
Aides said Mr Blair would discuss with business and civil leaders efforts to repair damage from Israel's January offensive.
Reconstruction will also be the focus of an international donor conference in Egypt tomorrow.
A spokeswoman for the former British prime minister said he had no plans to meet Hamas officials during the visit, scheduled to last several hours and to be followed by a tour of Sderot, an Israeli town hit frequently by rockets from Gaza.
Mr Blair serves as an envoy of the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators - the US, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.
He has been given the task of spearheading efforts to strengthen the Palestinian economy as well as pushing for peace.
Clinton arrives in Egypt ahead of conference
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in Egypt for an international donor conference to help rebuild Gaza.
Mrs Clinton, on her first trip to the Middle East since taking office, is reportedly carrying a cheque for $900m for Gaza, which was devastated by Israel's three-week war against its Hamas rulers in December and January.
About 75 countries are taking part in the Gaza aid conference being held in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Mrs Clinton is due to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the conference and join a meeting of the Middle East peace Quartet which groups the European Union, Russia and the UN as well as the US.
From Egypt, she is due to visit Israel and the West Bank.
