CAIRO – Arab leaders meeting in Cairo on Tuesday are set to endorse a counterproposal to U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for the Gaza Strip to be depopulated and transformed into a beach destination, even as the continuation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is uncertain.
The summit hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is expected to include the leaders of regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose support is crucial for any postwar plan.
Israel has meanwhile embraced what it says is an alternative U.S. proposal for the ceasefire itself and the release of hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. It has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza to try to get Hamas to accept the new proposal and has warned of additional consequences, raising fears of a return to war.
The suspension of aid drew widespread criticism, with human rights groups saying it violated Israel’s obligations as an occupying power under international law.
The new plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages — the militant group’s main bargaining chip — in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Israel made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners — a key component of the first phase.
Egypt’s postwar plan
Egypt has developed a postwar plan in which Palestinians would be relocated to safe areas inside Gaza equipped with mobile homes while its cities are rebuilt. Hamas would cede power to an interim administration of political independents until a reformed Palestinian Authority can assume control.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Western-backed authority and an opponent of Hamas, was attending the summit.
Israel has ruled out any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and, along with the United States, has demanded Hamas’ disarmament. Hamas, which does not accept Israel’s existence, has said it is willing to cede power in Gaza to other Palestinians but will not give up its arms until there is a Palestinian state.
Trump shocked the region last month when he suggested Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians be resettled in other countries. He said the United States would take ownership of the war-ravaged territory and redevelop it into a Middle Eastern “Riviera.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraced the proposal, which was roundly rejected by Palestinians, Arab countries and human rights experts, who said it would likely violate international law.
Children from Gaza head to Jordan for treatment
Trump has suggested that Egypt and Jordan, two close American allies, could take in large numbers of Palestinian refugees from Gaza. Both countries have adamantly rejected any such plan.
Meeting with Trump at the White House last month, Jordan’s King Abdullah II offered to take in some 2,000 children for medical treatment. The first batch of around 30 children left Gaza for Jordan on Tuesday, according to Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. The children are being accompanied by up to two family members.
Jordan said the children are amputees, and will return to Gaza when their treatment is complete. The kingdom has also set up field hospitals in Gaza and delivered aid by air and land.
The war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people hostage. Hamas-led militants are still holding 59 hostages, 35 of whom are believed to be dead.
Most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements. Israel has rescued eight living hostages and recovered the remains of dozens more.
Israel’s 15-month offensive killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It does not say how many were fighters but says women and children made up more than half the dead. Israel says it killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The offensive destroyed large areas of Gaza, including much of its health system and other infrastructure. At its height, the war displaced some 90% of the population, mostly within the territory, where hundreds of thousands packed into squalid tent camps and schools repurposed as shelters.
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Jahjouh reported from Khan Younis, Gaza Strip.
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