Emergency Arab summit discusses Egyptian plan for Gaza reconstruction as alternative to Trump’s proposal

A month after U.S. President Donald Trump presented a plan to evacuate Gaza residents, turning the Gaza Strip into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” Arab countries are meeting in Cairo for an emergency summit designed to formulate a counter-proposal for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. 

A drafted communique from the Arab summit on Tuesday called for adopting the Egyptian plan for Gaza's future and called on the international community and financial institutions to provide support for the plan quickly. 

Trump shocked the Arab world when he unexpectedly stated that the United States would take over Gaza, resettle its over 2-million Palestinian population, and develop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” The proposal overturned decades of political and international discourse about Gaza and the Palestinian issue, and appeared to undermine the Oslo Accords ideal of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

According to the Egyptian news site al-Qahera News (Cairo News), the plan includes the formation of a management committee to oversee Gaza’s affairs during a six-month transitional period. This committee will be independent, composed of "technocratic" figures with no connection to either Hamas or Fatah, while operating under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority. 

The plan also calls for the construction of temporary housing for the enclave’s residents during the reconstruction period, which the Egyptian government estimates will take four and a half years. This contrasts sharply with estimates by the Trump administration that reconstruction would take 10 to 15 years. 

According to the report in al-Qahera, seven areas of temporary housing would be built in different locations throughout the Gaza Strip, sufficient to house approximately 1.5 million people. 

The plan calls for two phases: Phase 1, lasting six months, would focus on clearing rubble and installing temporary housing. It would cost an estimated $20 billion.

Phase 2, which Egypt estimates will take between 2.5 to four years, would involve the construction of 200,000 housing units and a new port on the Mediterranean. This is estimated to cost around $30 billion.

The report also claims that Egypt and Jordan are already “working on training Palestinian police personnel in preparation for their deployment in the sector.” 

The Egyptian plan includes a proposal regarding the deployment of international peacekeepers to the Palestinian territories as part of a comprehensive framework for establishing a Palestinian state. Al-Qahera quoted the report as saying, "the issue of multiple armed Palestinian factions can be addressed if its causes are removed through a credible political process.” 

The Egyptian government called for a continuation of the ceasefire agreement, including the continued entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which Israel stopped on Sunday. 

The draft comes as Arab leaders are gathering in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss an alternative to a widely condemned plan from U.S. President Donald Trump to assume control of war-battered Gaza and displace its Palestinian population. 

The Arab League Summit on Gaza’s reconstruction also comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again gave his backing to Trump’s plan, calling it “visionary and innovative” during a speech to the Knesset. 

“We must support it. We support it fully,” Netanyahu said of the Trump proposal. “The time has come to give them the freedom to leave. The time has come to give them the freedom to choose.” 

Ahead of the Arab summit, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri rejected Israeli and U.S. calls for the group to disarm, saying its right to resist was not negotiable. 

"The weapon of the resistance is a red line, and it is not negotiable," Zuhri told Reuters. "We will not accept (any deal) to trade it for reconstruction or the entry of aid.” 

While Trump’s proposal has not been popular in the Arab world, some analysts and commentators have noted that it is the only plan being actively discussed. 

Egyptian Journalist Emad Adeeb told Sky News Arabic that both Hezbollah and Hamas must be disarmed before foreign aid will be made available to Lebanon or Gaza.

Egyptian Journalist Emad Adeeb: There Will Be No Foreign Aid for Reconstruction in Gaza and Lebanon Unless Hamas and Hizbullah Surrender Their Weapons; Trump’s Plan Is Absurd, But It Is the Only Plan on the Table Right Now pic.twitter.com/SJ1rrdMYvD

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) March 4, 2025

After the Egyptian plan was put forward at the summit, UN chief António Guterres said he strongly endorses the Arab initiative.

“I welcome and strongly endorse the Arab-led initiative to mobilize support for Gaza’s reconstruction, clearly expressed in this summit,” Guterres said. “The UN stands ready to fully cooperate in this endeavor.”

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the terror group would only support a plan that had the support of the Palestinian people.

"Any arrangements for Gaza's future after the aggression must be based on national consensus, and we will facilitate this," he told Turkish news site Anadolu Ajansı.