Arab leaders meeting in Egypt are set to approve a counter-proposal to US President Donald Trump's call to depopulate the Gaza Strip and turn it into a beach resort.
Tuesday's summit, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, is expected to include leaders of regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose support is seen as crucial to any post-war plan.
Egypt has developed an alternative plan that would relocate Palestinians to safe areas inside Gaza equipped with mobile homes and shelters while cities are rebuilt.
Hamas will hand over power to an interim administration of independent politicians until a reformed Palestinian Authority takes over.
A draft statement endorsing the plan calls for a “permanent and just solution” to the Palestinian issue and for the UN Security Council to deploy international peacekeepers to the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Israel has promised to maintain indefinite security control over both territories it captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which the Palestinians want as part of their future state.
The government and much of the country's political class oppose Palestinian statehood.
Egypt has published a detailed 112-page plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip by 2030 without displacing its population.
The ambitious $53bn (£41.7bn) plan flies in the face of Mr Trump's call to permanently evict the Palestinians so the US can develop the territory as a tourist destination.
Meanwhile, Israel has backed what it says is an alternative US proposal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war.
He blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies into Gaza in an attempt to force Hamas to accept the new offer, and warned of further consequences, fueling fears of renewed war.
The aid suspension has drawn widespread criticism, with rights groups saying it violates Israel's obligations as an occupying power under international law.
Israel’s preferred plan would have required Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages — the militant group’s main bargaining chip — in exchange for an extended cease-fire and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Israel made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners, a key component of the first phase.
The summit was attended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, an opponent of Hamas.
Israel has ruled out any role for the Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip and, together with the United States, has demanded the disarmament of Hamas.
Meanwhile, the fragile ceasefire agreed in January is in limbo and the war could resume.
Last month, Trump shocked the region when he proposed resettling some two million Gazans to other countries.
He said the United States would take control of the war-torn territory and turn it into a Middle Eastern “Riviera.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed the proposal, which has been strongly rejected by Palestinians, Arab countries and human rights experts who say it would likely violate international law.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
