Hamas future gets bleak as Arab FMs hold closed-door talks over Gaza
As Arab foreign ministers met behind closed doors on Monday ahead of an Arab League (AL) summit focused on a plan to counter President Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and expel its residents, some European states urged Israel to “immediately” stop blocking aid flowing into the war-ravaged enclave.
The ministers in Cairo held a “preparatory and consultative” session centred on an Arab plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its 2.4 million residents, an AL source said.
The source added the plan “would be presented to Arab leaders at Tuesday’s summit for approval”.
Egypt’s plan for Gaza drawn up as a counter to Trump’s ambition for a Middle East Riviera would sideline Hamas and replace it with interim bodies controlled by Arab, Muslim and western states, according to a draft seen by Reuters.
Who will run Gaza after the conflict remains the unanswered question in talks over its future. Hamas rejected the idea of any proposal being imposed on Palestinians by other states.
Under the Egyptian plan, a Governance Assistance Mission would replace the Hamas-run government in Gaza and would be responsible for humanitarian aid and for kick-starting reconstruction. “There will 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,” a preamble outlining the draft said.
Egypt, Jordan and Gulf Arab states have for been scrambling to formulate a diplomatic offensive to counter Trump’s plan. A number of ideas have been proposed, with Egypt’s considered the frontrunner. 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”.
