Blair makes first Gaza visit

GAZA CITY: Tony Blair paid his first visit to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip yesterday as envoy of international peace brokers and said reconstruction aid after Israel's offensive would not have a lasting effect without peace.

Blair, a former British prime minister, also toured the Israeli border town of Sderot, a frequent target of rocket attacks by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

He did not meet Hamas officials in the coastal enclave, a day before an international donor conference in Egypt to raise funds for rebuilding homes and infrastructure damaged or destroyed in the 22-day offensive Israel launched in December.