European leaders back Arab plan for Gaza

Leading European countries have said they support an Arab-backed plan to rebuild Gaza that would cost $53 billion (£41 billion) and avoid displacing Palestinians from the territory, the BBC writes . 

The plan, drafted by Egypt and endorsed by Arab leaders, has been rejected by Israel and by US President Donald Trump, who presented his vision of turning the Gaza Strip into a "Middle Eastern riviera".

On Saturday, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and Britain welcomed the plan, which calls for Gaza to be rebuilt within five years.

In a statement, they said the proposal promises "rapid and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions" for the people of Gaza.

The plan calls for Gaza to be temporarily governed by a committee of independent experts and for international peacekeepers to be deployed to the territory.

The committee will be responsible for overseeing humanitarian assistance and the interim management of Gaza affairs under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority.

The proposal was drawn up amid growing concerns that the fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement could collapse after the first six-week phase expired on March 1.

Israel has blocked aid from entering the territory to pressure Hamas to accept a new US proposal for a temporary extension of the ceasefire, during which more hostages held in Gaza would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

But Hamas has insisted that the second phase of the ceasefire, which would see the full withdrawal of Israeli troops, must begin as agreed.

Israel will send a negotiating team to Qatar on Monday to participate in talks on extending the ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.

It remains unclear if or when the second phase of the ceasefire agreement will be implemented. But a Hamas spokesman, Abdel Latif al-Qanoua, spoke of "positive indicators" for next week's talks.

The Arab-backed plan for the future of Gaza is an alternative to Trump's idea of ​​the US taking over the territory and resettling its population.

Egypt presented the plan at an emergency Arab League summit on Tuesday and it was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

But both the White House and the Israeli Foreign Ministry said they failed to address the realities in Gaza.

"Residents cannot live humanely in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance," Brian Hughes, a spokesman for Trump's National Security Council, said late Tuesday.

"President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free of Hamas," the statement added.

The statement issued by the four European countries on Saturday said they were "committed to working with the Arab initiative" and they appreciated the "important signal" that Arab states had sent by developing it.

The statement said that Hamas "should no longer govern Gaza nor pose a threat to Israel" and that the four countries "support the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda."

Almost all of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been forced to flee their homes since the start of hostilities. Israel launched military operations after a Hamas attack in October 2023 that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

Gaza has suffered widespread destruction with a huge humanitarian impact. More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's military actions, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and much infrastructure across the strip has been flattened by airstrikes.