Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will open an international conference for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip that is set to be held at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.

Mubarak will give a speech at the opening session of the Gaza donor's conference, calling for international efforts to raise funds for the rebuilding of Gaza battered by Israel's 22-day onslaught.

Representatives of more than 70 countries and regions as well as international organization gathered at the Egyptian resort to attend the meeting.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are expected to address the inaugural session.

According to UN reports, more than 14,000 homes, 68 government buildings, and 31 offices of nongovernmental organizations were destroyed during the recent Israeli attacks against Gaza.

Acting Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said in an official report that it will request US$2.8 billion at the March 2 meeting.

The United States will pledge US$900 million for the Palestinians to shore up the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and help rebuild the Gaza Strip, US State Department spokesman Robert Wood said on Sunday.

The European Commission has announced that it will pledge 436 million euros (US$566 million) in aid to the Palestinians at the Gaza reconstruction conference.