How to rebuild Gaza? Egypt gets the anti-Trump title against Trump's plan – State
Arab leaders on Tuesday endorsed Egypt's post-war plan against the Gaza Strip, which would allow its approximately 2 million Palestinians to stay in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to reduce the territory and redevelop it into a beach destination.
It is unclear whether Israel or the United States will accept the Egyptian plan, and the recognition of the Arab leaders constitutes a broad rejection of Trump's proposal. The vote was announced by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi.
The summit in Cairo on Tuesday included the Vice President of the United Arab Emir and the Emir of Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Qatar, which are crucial to post-war plans. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also attended the meeting.
El-Sissi said at the summit that the plan “retains the right of the Palestinian people to rebuild their state and guarantees their presence on the land.”
Israel accepted what it said was a replacement proposal for the U.S. ceasefire itself and released hostages in Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war. Israel has blocked entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies into Gaza in an attempt to get Hamas to accept the new proposal and warns other consequences, which has raised concerns about returning to the fight.
The suspension of aid has sparked widespread criticism, with human rights groups saying it violates Israel’s obligations as the right to occupy under international law.
The new plan will require Hamas to release half of its remaining hostages (the main bargaining chip for radical groups) in exchange for a ceasefire delay and promise a lasting truce. Israel has not mentioned the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a key component of the first phase.
Egypt's $53 billion plan is expected to rebuild Gaza by 2030 without eliminating its population. The first phase calls for the start of dismantling unexploded ordnance and the removal of more than 50 million tons of rubble remaining from Israeli bombing and military attacks.
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The final communiqué said that Egypt will cooperate with the United Nations to rebuild Gaza and hold an international conference. It said a World Bank trust fund will be established to receive commitments to implement early recovery and reconstruction plans.
According to a 112-page draft of the plan obtained by the Associated Press, thousands of temporary housing units will be built where Gaza’s population can live when it is rebuilt. Rubber will be recycled, some of which are used as fill, creating expanded land on the Mediterranean coast of Gaza.
In the next few years, the plan envisions a complete reshaping of striptease and building “sustainable, green and walkable” housing and urban areas with renewable energy. It renovates agricultural land and creates industrial areas and large park areas.
It also requires the opening of airports, fishing ports and commercial ports. The Oslo Peace Agreement called for the opening of airports and commercial ports in Gaza in the 1990s, but the projects withered as the peace process collapsed.
Under the plan, Hamas would place power on the management of the Provisional Political Independent Party until the reformed Palestinian authority could control. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a Western-backed authority and rival to Hamas, attended the summit.
Israel excludes any role of Palestine in Gaza and joins the United States in demanding disarmament from Hamas. Hamas, who does not accept Israel's existence, said it is willing to ced the power of Gaza to other Palestinians, but it will not give up its weapons until there is a Palestinian state.
El-Sissi said at the summit that a parallel path of peace was necessary to achieve a “comprehensive, just and lasting reconciliation” of the cause of Palestinian.
“Without the Palestinian state, there would be no real peace,” the Egyptian leader said. “It is time to adopt a seriously effective political avenue that provides a permanent and lasting solution to the cause of Palestinian under resolutions on international legitimacy.”
Israel vowed to maintain open security controls over both territories, which were occupied in the Middle East War of 1967 and that the Palestinians hoped for their future states. Most of the Israeli government and its political class oppose the Palestinian state.
Trump last month recommended that about 2 million Palestinians in Gaza have relocated the region in other countries. He said the United States will own the territory and redevelop it into the “Riviera” in the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted the proposal, which was rejected by Palestinians, Arab states and human rights experts, who said it could violate international law.
Riccardo Fabiani, director of North Africa, Brussels-based think tank International Crisis Group, said Egypt is “trying to propose a reliable alternative focused on reconstruction and has proposed an indirect consultation mechanism for Hamas that can be assured that Israel and the United States.”
Children from Gaza to Jordan for treatment
Trump suggests Egypt and Jordan are two close allies that can attract large numbers of Palestinian refugees from Gaza. Both countries firmly reject any such plans.
Jordanian King Abdullah II held a meeting with Trump at the White House and proposed to absorb about 2,000 children for medical treatment. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, a southern Gaza city, said about 30 children will leave Gaza for Jordan on Tuesday. The children have up to two family members.
Jordan said the children were amputees and would return to Gaza when their treatment was completed. The kingdom also established field hospitals in Gaza and provided assistance in the air and on the land.
The war began with Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and killed 251 hostages. Hamas-led militants are still holding 59 hostages, 35 of whom are believed to be dead.
Most of the rest were released in the ceasefire agreement. Israel rescued eight living hostages and recovered dozens of bodies.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israel's 15-month attack killed more than 48,000 Palestinians. It did not say how many fighter jets were, but the ministry said women and children constituted more than half of the dead. Israel said it killed more than 17,000 militants without evidence.
The offensive destroyed large areas of Gaza, including most of its health systems and other infrastructure. At its peak, war occupied about 90% of the population, mainly within the territory, with thousands crowding into dirty tent camps, while schools were reoccupied.
