Arab summit adopts Egypt’s alternative plan to Trump’s Gaza takeover: What to know

Arab states adopted an Egyptian plan on Tuesday calling for a “technocratic” committee under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority to administer the Gaza Strip while it is rebuilt.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters at the summit in Cairo that the plan was developed by Egypt in collaboration with the Palestinian Authority. It aims to reconstruct Gaza in phases and to raise Arab and international funding to this end, preserving the enclave’s “status as part of a future Palestinian state.”

Gheit said independent “technocrats” would administer Gaza for six months under the plan.

“The political pathway is a committee of technocrats, none factional, to administer the Gaza Strip for months under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority to preserve contiguity of the West Bank and Gaza under one authority,” he said.

The plan also endorses a “two-state vision” and expresses support for the current ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, said Gheit.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said earlier that the plan had been adopted by Arab leaders at the summit.

The emergency summit brought Arab leaders together to discuss an Egyptian plan for the post-war Gaza Strip. The plan seeks to be an alternative to US President Donald Trump's idea to take over the territory and displace the Palestinian population to Egypt and Jordan.

Trump first floated his idea on Feb. 5, suggesting that the United States would take over the enclave while displacing 1.7 million Palestinians.

The US plan was met with fierce opposition from regional countries, who see the displacement of the Palestinians as a red line for their national security.

Egypt said it would present “a comprehensive vision for rebuilding Gaza while ensuring Palestinians remain," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Feb. 11.

Who is attending?

Tuesday’s summit, hosted by Egypt's Sisi, was attended by Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan represented Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the meeting. Emirati Vice President and deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan represented the UAE.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is also present and expected to deliver a speech during the summit.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, Sudanese Armed Forces Leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed Al-Menfi, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi and Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani were also in attendance.

The final statement of the summit and agreed-upon resolutions are expected to be announced at the summit’s conclusion at 8:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. ET).

Earlier on Monday, Arab foreign ministers held a preparatory meeting in Cairo to finalize the Egyptian-drafted plan on Gaza’s reconstruction.

According to a draft of the plan, which was seen by Reuters, a governance mission that would replace the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip for an unspecified interim period would be in charge of overseeing the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid and launching reconstruction efforts.

“There will be no major international funding for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza if Hamas remains the dominant and armed political element on the ground controlling local governance," a preamble of the plan read.

The plan did not specify which parties will make up this mission, but said it would “draw on the expertise of Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere to help Gaza recover as quickly as possible.”

Under the plan, an International Stabilization Force made up of unspecified Arab states would also replace Hamas in providing security. The two bodies would be monitored by a board composed of Arab countries, members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and its member states, and others.

Sources who have seen the draft revealed to Bloomberg that temporary housing for Palestinians would be built within Gaza under the plan, while the removal of rubble is underway.

While Hamas would not play a role in Gaza's daily administration, according to Bloomberg, the plan does not detail how the group would be disarmed or removed.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, is not represented at Tuesday’s summit. The group released a statement as Arab leaders began their meeting, urging them to stop the displacement of Palestinians. “We look forward to an effective Arab role that ends the humanitarian tragedy created by the occupation in the Gaza Strip … and thwarts the [Israeli] occupation’s plans to displace [Palestinians],” the statement read.

Hurdles remain

Amid ambiguity surrounding the draft, specifically over the issue of governance and the future of Hamas, questions about the effective implementation of the plan remain. Israel has rejected handing over the territory to either Hamas or the PA.

Hamas has repeatedly rejected any foreign governance of the Gaza Strip. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri insisted that the future of Gaza be decided by Palestinians.

“Hamas rejects any attempt to impose projects or any form of non-Palestinian administration, or the presence of any foreign forces on the land of the Gaza Strip,” he told Reuters on Monday.

In another statement to Agence France-Presse on Tuesday, Abu Zuhri rejected any attempt to disarm Hamas, saying, “The resistance’s weapons are a red line for Hamas and all resistance factions.”

Meanwhile, regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the UAE have insisted that any financial support for Gaza's reconstruction is contingent upon the complete disarmament of Hamas and the group's exclusion from any governing body in the territory.

The 15-month Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which was triggered by Hamas’ cross-border assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed more than 48,000 people and caused major destruction across the enclave.

The United Nations has estimated that the reconstruction of Gaza, as well as the West Bank where the Israeli military has been conducting raids since January, would cost a staggering $53.2 billion over the next 10 years.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt brokered a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in January that has led to a pause in fighting and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. 

This developing story has been updated since initial publication.