Egypt's Draft Plan for Gaza Still Full of Ambiguities

DOHA, TUESDAY - Egypt's draft plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip has become the main agenda of discussions at the Arab Summit in Cairo, Tuesday (4/3/2025). The draft reveals several issues, such as Hamas not being given a role, the establishment of an interim government in the Gaza Strip, and the reconstruction of Gaza being carried out without displacing Palestinian residents.

A journalist from Reuters News Agency directly observed the draft from an official who requested anonymity. According to the official, the draft proposed by Egypt was intended to serve as a counterproposal to the proposal of United States President Donald Trump. However, the draft was said to still contain many uncertainties.

The draft, among other things, does not specify whether the implementation of the proposal will be realized before or after a permanent peace agreement to end the Hamas-Israel war.

The next question is about who will lead Gaza after the conflict. This major question remains unanswered in the negotiations regarding the future of the region.

Egypt's plan also does not address critical issues such as who will bear the costs of Gaza's reconstruction, provide specific details on how Gaza will be governed, or how the Hamas group will be removed.

Referring to the opening section of the draft, the Governance Assistance Mission or interim government will replace the Hamas administration in Gaza. This governance mission – not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority – will govern for a temporary period and will be responsible for humanitarian aid.

However, in the draft proposed by Egypt, it does not specify who will carry out the governance mission. In the introduction, it is only stated that the plan will utilize the expertise of Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere to help Gaza recover as quickly as possible.

This Government Assistance Mission is also tasked with initiating the reconstruction of enclaves devastated by war. "There will be no significant international funding for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza if Hamas remains the dominant armed political element on the ground and continues to control the local government," as stated in the opening of the Egyptian draft.

Egypt's plan also firmly rejects a US proposal to forcibly evict 2.4 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Egypt and Jordan consider the plan a security threat.

Rejecting forced displacement, the Egyptian plan calls for three zones in Gaza to relocate Palestinians for an initial six-month period. The zones would be equipped with temporary homes and shelters, with humanitarian aid flowing in.

On the security front of Gaza, the Egyptian plan calls for an International Stabilization Force, largely drawn from Arab countries, that would take over the role of providing security in Gaza from militant groups by creating a new local police force. However, the Egyptian Plan does not discuss what action could be taken if Hamas refuses to disarm or withdraw.

Both the security and government agencies will be governed, guided and supervised by a steering committee. The Egyptian draft plan states that the steering committee will consist of major Arab states, members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the United States, Britain, the European Union and its member states, and a number of other countries.

The Egyptian plan also does not specify a central government role for the Palestinian Authority (PA), which polls show has little support among Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

A Palestinian official told Reuters anonymously that like the West Bank, Gaza was under PA jurisdiction and should be administered by Palestinians.

"We agreed with Egypt on a committee of Palestinian experts that will assist the PA in managing the Gaza Strip for six months. The committee will be composed of Palestinian experts and coordinate with the PA, and will not be accountable to non-Palestinian bodies," the official said.

Regarding the Egyptian plan, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the group was not aware of any such proposal from Egypt. “The next day in Gaza can only be decided by the Palestinians,” Zuhri said.

"Hamas rejects any attempt to impose a project or any form of non-Palestinian government, or the presence of foreign forces in the Gaza Strip," Zuhri added.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Egyptian plan. Israel's Prime Minister's Office did not immediately respond, though its support for any plan is seen as crucial to securing a commitment that future reconstruction will not be destroyed again.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that the day before the Arab League meeting was held, on Monday, foreign ministers from Arab countries had met in Cairo for talks. The talks focused on Egypt's plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip. The meeting was also to adopt Egypt's plan for Gaza.

Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states have been struggling for nearly a month to formulate a diplomatic plan for Gaza to counter Trump's plan. In late January 2025, Trump caused an international uproar.

He suggested permanently relocating some of Gaza's more than 2 million Palestinians to neighboring Arab countries, adding that the US would take over Gaza and rebuild it into the "Riviera of the Middle East."

Palestinians have strongly opposed the proposal. Egypt and Jordan have objected to the proposal, saying their territories are the targets of the relocation. Human rights groups have said Trump's proposal could amount to a war crime.

In Arab talks over the past month, a number of ideas have been floated, with Egypt seen as leading the way in drafting the plan. Arab leaders' support for the Egypt Plan could be seen at this year's Arab summit. (REUTERS/AFP/AP)