On 4 March, Egypt presented its Gaza Reconstruction Plan at an emergency Arab summit in Cairo, a direct counter to US President Donald Trump’s so-called ‘Riviera of the Middle East’ scheme, which proposed displacing Gaza’s 2 million Palestinians to make way for a real estate project.
Unlike Trump’s vision of erasing the Palestinian presence, Egypt aims to rebuild the devastated enclave without displacing Palestinians.
Cairo’s proposal includes a Governance Assistance Mission to oversee humanitarian aid and reconstruction. However, the proposal reportedly states that international funding is unlikely to be secured if Hamas remains in control, so Hamas—in accepting the deal—has announced it would cede power. Egypt would like an International Stabilisation Force led by Arab states to handle security. It proposes that the security entity transition to a local police force.
Moreover, any plans to restore Gaza depend on the successful implementation of a tenuous three-phase ceasefire deal that went into effect on 19 January between Israel and Hamas. The truce has already been thrown into doubt after Israel blocked the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza in an attempt to force Hamas into an extension of phase one. Tel Aviv has warned of additional consequences, including resuming military action if Hamas does not continue releasing more hostages.
Israel’s 16-month military onslaught on Gaza and the Palestinian people flattened the enclave, k*lling over 186,000 people as of July 2024, according to the Lancet medical journal, and around 18,000 children as of January, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Sources
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjd32xyjg4eo
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/egypt-says-gaza-reconstruction-plan-ready-will-intensify-efforts-phase-two-2025-03-02/ https://www.palestinechronicle.com/egypts-gaza-reconstruction-plan-excludes-hamas-seeks-international-support-reuters/
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g039ergplo
https://www.american.edu/sis/news/20250129-understanding-the-israel-hamas-ceasefire-agreement.cfm
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/8/gaza-toll-could-exceed-186000-lancet-study-says