Egypt Reportedly Plans To Fund Gaza Rebuild With Arab-Led Nations, Countering Trump’s Proposal

Egypt is reportedly working on a plan to fund and facilitate the rebuilding of Gaza within three to five years after President Donald Trump proposed that the U.S. take control of the war-torn territory.

According to multiple reports, Egypt’s proposal for the reconstruction of Gaza includes Arab-led nations, the European Union, and the United Nations — with no mention of cooperation with the U.S. government. Egypt’s reported plan comes as Trump has doubled down on his goal to relocate around two million Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab countries, allowing for the United States to “take over.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Egypt’s plan includes keeping Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and setting up a “committee of technocrats drawn from across Gaza to administer the enclave.” Security for Gaza would be provided by Palestinians who are trained by Arab forces. The Egyptian proposal reportedly kicks the question of “Palestinian statehood” down the road and instead focuses entirely on the immediate reconstruction of Gaza.

“For the Arab world, recognizing that Trump actually means what he says in terms of Gaza means the necessity of coming up with an alternative to push forward,” Middle East security expert H.A. Hellyer told the Journal.

On Tuesday, Trump met with King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House, where the two leaders discussed the situation in Gaza and how to address the rebuilding. During the meeting, King Abdullah said his country would take in 2,000 sick children from Gaza, an offer Trump said was “beautiful.” Before agreeing to help with any more refugee resettlement, King Abdullah said he would wait for Egypt to present its plan.

Last week, the president said that the United States would seek control of Gaza to create an economy that would “supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.” Days later, Trump elaborated on that plan, writing that America would work “with great development teams from all over the World” to rebuild the territory that has been controlled by Hamas terrorists, adding that no U.S. troops would be needed on the ground.

“With the United States being in control of that piece of land … you can have stability in the Middle East for the first time,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. “And the Palestinians, or the people that live now in Gaza, will be living beautifully in another location.”

King Abdullah, however, said that every Arab-led nation would reject Trump’s proposal.

Trump invited Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to discuss the issue, but Al Sisi has not yet accepted the offer. Earlier this week, Egypt said it would host a summit of Arab leaders at the end of the month to discuss “the new and dangerous developments in the Palestinian issue.”

Trump has given Israel the green light to let “hell break out” if Hamas doesn’t release the remaining hostages by Saturday at noon. Hamas suspended the release of hostages after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.