Lucy Clarke-Billings
BBC News
Leading European nations have said they support an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that would cost $53 billion (£41 billion) and avoid displacing Palestinians from the territory.
The plan, drawn up by Egypt and endorsed by Arab leaders, has been rejected by Israel and by US President Donald Trump, who presented his own vision to turn the Gaza Strip into a “Middle East Riviera”.
On Saturday the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and Britain welcomed the plan, which calls for Gaza to be rebuilt over five years, as “realistic”.
In a statement, they said the proposal promised “swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions” for the people of Gaza.
The plan calls for Gaza to be governed temporarily by a committee of independent experts and for international peacekeepers to be deployed to the territory.
The committee would be responsible for overseeing humanitarian aid and temporarily managing Gaza’s affairs under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority.
The proposal was drawn up amid growing concern that Gaza’s fragile ceasefire deal could collapse after the six-week first phase expired on 1 March.
Israel has blocked aid from entering the territory to pressure Hamas to accept a new US proposal for a temporary extension of the truce, during which more hostages held in Gaza would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
But Hamas has insisted that the second phase of the ceasefire, which would see the full withdrawal of Israeli troops, should begin as agreed.
Israel will send a negotiating team to Qatar on Monday to take part in talks on extending the ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
It remains unclear if or when the second phase of the ceasefire agreement will be implemented. But a Hamas spokesman, Abdel Latif al-Qanoua, spoke of “positive indicators” for next week’s talks.
The Arab-backed plan for Gaza’s future is an alternative to Trump’s idea for the US to take over the territory and resettle its population.
Egypt presented the plan at an emergency Arab League summit on Tuesday and it was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.
But both the White House and Israeli foreign ministry said it failed to address realities in Gaza.
“Residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance,” Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for Trump’s National Security Council, said late on Tuesday.
“President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas,” the statement added.
The statement issued by the four European countries on Saturday said they were “committed to working with the Arab initiative” and they appreciated the “important signal” the Arab states had sent by developing it.
The statement said Hamas “must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more” and that the four countries “support the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda”.
Almost all of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have had to leave their homes since the start of hostilities. Israel began military operations after Hamas’s October 2023 attack which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 more taken hostage.
Gaza has suffered vast destruction with a huge humanitarian impact. More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s military action, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and much infrastructure across the strip has been levelled by air strikes.
Additional reporting by Ian Aikman.
