The initial details of a proposal to rebuild the Gaza Strip within three to five years have been released by Egypt. However, the plan does not mention any collaboration with the Trump administration or Israel.
Sources from Egypt informed Qatari Al Araby TV that the plan is aimed at countering a proposal put forth by President Trump, which suggested the U.S. would take control of Gaza and forcibly relocate all Palestinians residing there.
The reconstruction proposal from Egypt is expected to involve collaboration among Arab nations, the European Union, and the United Nations.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the White House, U.N., Qatari or Egyptian officials to confirm details of the plan.
King Abdullah II of Jordan, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While speaking alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah in the Oval Office Tuesday, Trump reaffirmed his plans to take over the Gaza Strip, telling reporters, “We’re going to take it. We’re going to hold it. We’re going to cherish it.”
Though both Jordan and Egypt have pushed back on Trump’s plan to “take over” Gaza, Richard Goldberg, senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former National Security Council official during the first Trump administration, pointed out that the president’s comments got them moving to take action.
Abdullah on Tuesday announced he will accept up to 2,000 children from Gaza who have cancer or require other medical treatment. Neither Jordan nor Egypt had previously agreed to accept Gazans after the war that ensured Gaza in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
“These governments are most certainly scrambling to respond to a president who outlined a pretty clear vision and a determination to make it happen,” Goldberg told Fox News Digital. “I’d expect their first round of responses to be wholly unserious, hoping they can put lipstick on a pig and make Trump go away.
“But this president doesn’t fall for those old tricks.”
Trump has claimed there is potential to turn the Gaza Strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East” and on Tuesday said it could be a “diamond.”
Palestinians continue to return to their homes after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, amid destruction in Gaza City, Gaza, Feb. 2, 2025. (Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)
But King Abdullah would not directly answer reporters’ questions on his position regarding the U.S. takeover.
“I think the point is, how do we make this work in a way that is good for everybody?” Abdullah wondered. “Obviously, we have to look at the best interests of the United States, of the people in the region, especially to my people of Jordan.
“We will be in Saudi Arabia to discuss how we can work with the president and with the United States. So, I think let’s wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the president and not get ahead of ourselves.”
Later Tuesday, Abdullah confirmed Jordan’s position on X. And while he thanked the president for a “warm welcome” and “constructive meeting,” he said, “I reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position.
“Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all,” he added, echoing a statement released by Egypt’s foreign ministry. “Achieving just peace on the basis of the two-state solution is the way to ensure regional stability.”
