Egypt Presenting Gaza Reconstruction Plan

Tuesday, 4 March 2025 | Egypt is presenting its own plan for rebuilding and governing Gaza to an Arab League summit in Cairo today.

The plan is Egypt’s counter to US President Donald Trump’s proposal for Gaza, which the president released last month and would see the US take control of the enclave and relocate its current residents. The plan was rejected by Palestinians and Arab states 

Egypt’s vision would see terrorist group Hamas dethroned from its rule over Gaza and an interim rule by a coalition of Arab, Muslim and Western states, according to a Reuters report citing an exclusive preview of the draft proposal.

Unlike Trump’s proposal, the Egyptian plan would not call for the relocation of Palestinians living in Gaza, Reuters reported. But like Trump’s plan, the Egyptian vision for Gaza’s future does not include rule by Hamas.

“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,” the Egyptian plan’s preamble reads, according to Reuters.

The coalition under Egypt’s proposal would govern Hamas for an unspecified period of time, and Reuters reported that it’s unclear whether the plan would go into effect before or after a permanent peace deal to end the war in Gaza.

Hamas has been in control of Gaza since 2007, when the terrorist group forcibly expelled its rival for power in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority (PA), from the enclave. Since then, Hamas has launched frequent attacks against Israel, including the brutal invasion on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas terrorists entered Israel and murdered some 1,200 people and took another 251 hostage.

Israel responded by launching a ground war in Gaza with the goals of returning the hostages and removing Hamas from power.

One of the biggest post-war question marks is who will rule Gaza once the smoke has cleared.

A Hamas official told Reuters in response to Egypt proposing its plan today that “The day after in Gaza must only be decided by the Palestinians. 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 proposal reportedly does not outline the action to be taken if Hamas refuses to step aside. It also does not outline a specific plan for funding the rebuilding of Gaza, which the UN has estimated will cost more than US $53 billion.

The first phase of the current short-term ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that went into effect on January 19 expired Saturday, and it’s unclear whether or when they will enter phase two.