It is Blair's first visit to Gaza since he was appointed to present the Mideast peacemaking quartet of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations in 2007.

'I wanted to come to hear for myself, first hand, from people in Gaza whose lives have been so badly impacted,' Blair said in a statement.

He is the latest in a number of high-ranking diplomats to visit Gaza since the end of the Israeli offensive against the strip, which ended up killing more than 1300 Palestinians and injuring over 5000.

'I will relay their account of events, their assessment of what is needed for reconstruction, their goals for rebuilding a vibrant private sector and civil society, to this week's conference in Sharm El Sheikh,' Blair said in the statement.