Egyptian President Abdel Fatta El-Sisi will take photos with his leaders as Egypt is holding an emergency Arab Summit to discuss the development of Palestine on March 4, 2025 in Egypt’s new administrative capital in Cairo.
Egyptian President | Via Reuters
Egypt-led Arab countries have embraced the roadmap to rebuild Gaza as a “comprehensive Arab plan,” countering President Donald Trump’s proposal to redevelop the strip, turning Gaza into what they call the “Middle Eastern Riviera,” and chasing away Palestinians.
The White House effectively rejected the Arab plan, saying, “The current proposal does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and that its residents cannot live humanely in territory covered in debris and misleading sources.”
The Arab plan seen by CNBC says $53 billion will be needed to rebuild the besieged strip, jointly announced last month UN-EU-WORLD Bank Report. The nearly 100-page plan, dubbed “Gaza 2030,” includes the Egyptian president’s logo, which was reviewed by Arab countries at an emergency summit in Cairo on Tuesday. It aims to stand by Hamas, proposing the ultimate control of Palestinian authority on the besieged strip.
During the summit’s final communica- tion, Arab countries have urged the international community and “international and regional fundraising agencies to promptly provide the support they need for their planning.” The proposal does not show who will step into the bill specifically, but it did allow us to see European contributions and wealthy Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The plan has arisen as Paul Musgrave, an associate professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, told CNBC’s Dan Murphy, “Omitting key answers on issues like governance, Hamas’ future, fundraising and facing “some real obstacles to becoming reality.”
“It’s a great document, but I don’t know if it’s a really serious plan, because it fends off two biggest questions. One would agree with the political assumptions to make this epic vision come to fruition? [of] “Unified Palestinian authority back to Gaza,” Musgrave added.
Military vehicles are operating in North Gaza amidst the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel on February 9, 2025.
Amir Cohen | Reuters
Israel condemned the proposal, saying that before progress in discussions regarding accepting aid or extending a ceasefire, Hamas must first release all remaining Israeli hostages from Gaza.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman He condemned the proposal, saying it “will be unable to address the reality of the situation after October 7, 2023 and remains rooted in an outdated perspective.”
Meanwhile, the summit communique also expressed support for the “International Conference for Early Recovery and Reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.” This is scheduled for this month in Cairo, in cooperation with the United Nations.
The Arab countries have also announced that they will work on the creation of a World Bank-overviewed “trust fund” with the aim of “receiving financial commitments from all donor countries and fundraising institutions” with the aim of implementing early recovery and reconstruction projects.
Reconstruction of Gaza
In the most concise plan to rebuild Gaza, the draft outlines the three-stage plan, reaching its peak in 2030.
The first phase lasts six months, costing $3 billion, during which cleat removal occurs in certain areas. The seven sites are projected to cater to more than 1.5 million people with temporary housing provided to those evacuated during the reconstruction process.
People are walking towards their homes along the destroyed streets of Gaza city on January 19, 2025.
Abood Abusalama | AFP | Getty Images
In the second phase, if two years lasts for two years, 1.6 million residential units will be built and facilities, services and networks will be reestablished.
The third phase, which lasts for two and a half years at a cost of $3 billion, aims to continue the process of “establishing necessary facilities, networks and service buildings” with an additional 1.2 million homes. The hope is that these new units have the capacity to accommodate 3 million people.
Governance in Gaza
The proposal does not include the future of Hamas, a besieged strip extremist group, but “outlines that the administration will take over management of the issue of Gaza Strip during a six-month transition period.
Arab countries say the ultimate goal is to allow “Palestine National Authorities to return to the Gaza Strip to the end.”
Arab countries are calling for “presidential and legislative elections to be held in all regions of Palestine in a year if appropriate conditions are available.” In a statement to CNBC, a senior political official from Hamas said the group welcomed the election, saying it was a long-standing demand to “give Palestinians the opportunity to choose representative leadership and political channels.”
While questions remain as to how Hamas agrees to disarm or how they agree to disarm, the group has informed CNBC of the Arab Plan “a roadmap suitable for positive elements and practical proposals.”
