Egypt’s alternative to Trump plan sidelines Hamas, leaves key questions unanswered
Draft proposal mum on how to disarm the terror group, contains no financial pledges to rebuild Gaza, and doesn’t give central role to PA, which seeks to lead Strip’s reconstruction
Egypt has drawn up a plan for Gaza that would sideline Hamas and replace it with interim bodies controlled by Arab, Muslim and Western states, according to a draft seen by Reuters, as Arab countries scramble to counter US President Donald Trump’s proposal to take over the devastated Strip and oust its residents.
Egypt’s vision, which is due to be presented at an Arab League summit on Tuesday, does not specify whether the proposal would be implemented before or after any permanent deal to end the war in Gaza.
The proposal also does not detail a central role for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, which has sought to lead Gaza’s reconstruction. Nor does the draft proposal say how Hamas would be pushed aside, how the Strip would be rebuilt, or who would pay to rebuild it.
A preamble outlining the objectives of Egypt’s plan said there would 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.”
Egypt, Jordan and Gulf Arab states have for almost a month been scrambling to formulate a diplomatic offensive to counter Trump’s plan, which has sparked outrage in Arab and Muslim countries. A number of ideas have been proposed, with Egypt’s considered the frontrunner.
The plan firmly rejects the US proposal for mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, which Arab states, such as Egypt and Jordan, see as a security threat.
The draft proposal was shared with Reuters by an official involved in Gaza negotiations who wished to remain anonymous because the draft has not yet been made public. Reuters was unable to determine whether Arab leaders would support the draft proposal.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that the group knows of no such proposal by Egypt.
“The day after in Gaza must only be decided by the Palestinians,” he said. “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.”
Egypt’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nor did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, whose support for any plan is seen as vital to ensure that any reconstruction will not be undone.
The premier has applauded Trump’s plan to take over Gaza, announced at a joint press conference of the two leaders in the White House early February.
Netanyahu had previously ruled out any post-war role in Gaza for Hamas or the PA, which Israel has long accused of inciting terrorism. Until Trump’s plan, however, he had failed to publicly enunciate who he would see govern the Strip after the war there.
Stabilization force
Egypt’s proposal makes no mention of elections in Gaza, and does not say what would happen if Hamas refuses to disarm or step aside from politics.
Under the proposal, a Governance Assistance Mission would replace the Hamas-run government in Gaza for an unspecified interim period and would be responsible for humanitarian aid and for kick-starting reconstruction of the enclave, which has been devastated by the war.
The plan does not specify who would run the governance mission. It said it would “draw on the expertise of Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere to help Gaza recover as quickly as possible.”
The proposal envisions an International Stabilization Force, drawn primarily from Arab states, taking over policing in the Strip from Hamas, with the eventual formation of a new local police force.
Both security and governance bodies would be “arranged, guided and supervised” by a steering board. The draft said the board would comprise representatives from Britain, the United States, the European Union and its member states, key Arab countries, and members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The steering board would coordinate with a Civil Society Advisory Board, consisting of academics, NGO leaders and other notable figures. States on the steering board could establish a fund to support the interim governing body and arrange donor conferences to seek contributions for a longer-term reconstruction and development plan for Gaza.
The proposal contains no specific pledges to finance Gaza’s reconstruction, which would cost over $53 billion, according to a United Nations estimate last month. Two sources have told Reuters that Gulf and Arab states would need to commit at least $20 billion in the initial phase of reconstruction.
Oil- and gas-producing Gulf Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, could be vital sources of funding from the region.
The three countries’ foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Egypt’s plan, or to questions about their willingness to commit funds to rebuild Gaza.
Reconstruction bill
Egypt has sought to establish an interim, independent committee of Palestinian technocrats to help administer Gaza, as much of the international community maintains that the unpopular PA must undergo significant reforms before it can return to the Strip.
Speaking to The Times of Israel last month, a top aide to PA President Mahmoud Abbas said any committee should answer to Ramallah.
Echoing the aide’s comments, a Palestinian official told Reuters that, like the West Bank, Gaza falls under the PA’s jurisdiction and must be run by Palestinians.
“We agreed with the Egyptians on a committee made of Palestinian experts that will help the Palestinian Authority in running the Gaza Strip for six months. The committee is made of Palestinian experts and coordinates with the PA, and doesn’t answer to non-Palestinian bodies,” said the official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Hamas has reportedly indicated that it would be willing to hand over the reins in Gaza to the PA after the war there ends.
The terror group ousted the PA from the Strip in a civil war in 2007. Supported by Iran, Hamas built an extensive terror apparatus based around a vast network of tunnels, much of which Israel has destroyed in the current war in Gaza.
The war was sparked on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
A January 19 ceasefire and hostage deal brought a temporary end to the fighting, but the agreement’s first phase expired on Saturday with little sign of progress toward the second phase. Egypt was one of the deal’s mediators.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.