Arab summit to deliver strong rebuttal of Trump’s plan for Gaza

Gamal Bayoumi, Egypt’s former deputy foreign affairs minister to the EU, has told Al Jazeera that the Arab summit taking place in Cairo would make the position of Arab leaders clear to Trump regarding his plan to forcibly remove Palestinians and rebuild Gaza.

“The summit today will send a big ‘no’ to Trump’s plan,” Bayoum said. “We have never spared any effort or any money to help our Palestinian neighbours, because this is a national security issue for us,” the former ambassador added.

Bayoum said Egypt has direct contact with Israel and “they know exactly what we mean when we say that we are going to rebuild Gaza”.

“The Palestinians will never leave their land,” he added.

‘Peace cannot be maintained by force’: Egypt’s president

El-Sisi added that he wants the Gaza reconstruction plan to be adopted at today’s summit.

“Peace cannot be maintained by force,” he said. “We will also be providing security training to security officials in Gaza.”

Before giving the floor to the Arab League chief, Egypt’s leader says US President Donald Trump is “capable of achieving peace” in the Middle East.

Egypt playing key intermediary role at Arab summit

Egypt is presenting itself as the leading nation at the Arab summit in order to bridge the difference between the official historical Arab position and the new Trump administration, according to Al Jazeera’s senior correspondent Marwan Bishara.

“What we’ve heard this far from the Egyptian president is very important because he speaks for the closest Arab country to Gaza and the one that has most leverage on Israel and the US,” Bishara said.

“Egypt recovered all its land in return for peace in 1967, and that is what the Arab world wants for Palestine.”

Bishara added that Arab leaders will be careful to package their proposal in a “diplomatic way” that is acceptable to US President Donald Trump, in order to provide an alternative for his administration to take on board.

Mahmoud Abbas welcomes Egypt’s Gaza plan

The Palestinian president says the call to transfer the population of Gaza from their homeland is “categorically rejected”.

“We thank all Arab and European states who have taken the initiative and were quick to reject this irresponsible and inhumane call,” he said, speaking at an Arab League summit that aims to counter President Trump’s proposal for Gaza.

“We also reiterate our rejection of the Israeli practices to mandate a reality of occupation in the West Bank and Jerusalem with the purpose of undermining the two-state solution and the Palestinian cause,” Abbas added.

He said the Palestinian Authority (PA), which he heads, commends “the Arab-Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of Gaza in the presence of the Palestinians in their homeland”.

“We call on Trump to support the efforts of reconstruction on these bases, rather than any other basis,” Abbas added.

The president also said he was ready to hold presidential and parliamentary elections if circumstances allow, adding his Palestinian Authority was the only legitimate governing and military force in the Palestinian Territories.

Abbas announced the establishment of a new role – a vice president for both the State of Palestine and the Palestine Liberation Organization – and vowed to take the necessary legal steps to formalise the position. He also said he would issue a general amnesty for all those dismissed from Fatah, the group leading the PA, which has limited autonomy in the areas it administers in the occupied West Bank.

What did leaders say at Cairo summit?

Here are some of the statements made by the senior officials attending the Cairo summit:

‘Views in Washington divided over Gaza’ amid Arab summit

William Lawrence, a former US diplomat, says the views in the US capital are split over the situation in Gaza.

“On the one hand, there are those who support the Trump proposals, which is pretty much a ‘whatever Israel wants’ policy”, he told Al Jazeera, speaking from Washington, DC.

“And then there are those who want a two-state solution and a dignified new homeland for part of the Palestinian population in Gaza along the lines of the Egyptian proposal,” Lawrence continued.

He also said that there is a third group who are undecided and follow the developments.

The former diplomat stressed some people in Washington see the summit in Cairo as a chance to build unity on Palestine.

Arab summit adopts Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan

An Arab summit convened in Cairo on Tuesday adopted an Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said during a closing statement.

The plan aims to counter US President Donald Trump’s proposals for a “Middle East Riviera” by presenting a scheme for rebuilding the devastated Gaza Strip without displacing its population.

Palestinian PM gives glimpse into $53bn Arab plan for Gaza

Speaking at the conclusion of the Arab summit, Mohammad Mustafa has been asked by a reporter how the $53bn in funds called for in the plan would be raised.

While we don’t have the official details of the plan yet, Mustafa gave some insights in his answer.

Here is what he said:

“We will seek support from Egypt and Jordan to reform the police forces in Gaza.”

“The matter of reconstruction is the responsibility of an independent authority or entity that would be established by the Palestinian Authority with a board of directors with international supervision, and all the funds would go to an international find, most likely with the World Bank … to ensure transparency.”

“The reconstruction will have its own governance mechanisms and systems.”

“As for rasing funds, of course, it’s a great challenge, but there is keen interest to contribute in the reconstruction effort.”

Arab League chief says Egypt’s Gaza plan ‘fully backed’ by Arab states

The international organisation’s secretary-general, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, has said the summit in Cairo had two objectives before it gathered.

“The first was to reiterate the collective Arab opposition, rejecting the proposition for displacement [of the Palestinians in Gaza] under any pretext or label,” he said.

“The other objective was to give clear, practical and realistic alternatives to the proposal of evacuating the Palestinians,” the secretary-general added.

He also said the plan on the table – developed by Egypt in collaboration with Palestine – has become an Arab plan after being approved by the summit.

“It is fully backed by all the Arab states,” Ahmed Aboul Gheit concluded.

Hamas responds to Arab summit on Gaza

The group says in a statement that it welcomes the convening of the emergency summit in Cairo and the adoption of the Egyptian-proposed plan for Gaza reconstruction.

“The convening of the Arab summit today inaugurates an advanced stage of Arab and Islamic alignment with the just Palestinian cause,” Hamas said

It also said that it supports “building Palestinian national institutions”, and for legislative and presidential elections “as soon as possible”, indicating that the group may be OK with being sidelined from its current governance role in Gaza.

Israel slams Cairo summit for failing to condemn Hamas

The Israeli foreign ministry has claimed that the statement issued at the summit in Cairo “fails to address the realities of the situation following October 7th, 2023, remaining rooted in outdated perspectives”.

Israel criticised the gathering for not mentioning the attack or condemning Hamas. The statement also claimed, “With President Trump’s idea, there is an opportunity for the Gazans to have free choice based on their free will. This should be encouraged!”

“Instead, Arab states have rejected this opportunity, without giving it a fair chance, and continue to level baseless accusations against Israel,” the ministry also said, repeating that Hamas “can’t be left in power” in Gaza.

The statement urged regional states “to break free from past constraints and collaborate to create a future of stability and security”.

How dare Arab states not embrace Ethnic Cleansing.

Call to remove Palestinians from Gaza is a smear in face of humanity: Al-Sharaa

Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says his country has always been and will remain one of the foremost backers of the Palestinian cause.

“We will do all we can to support peace and security in the region,” he said, speaking at the Arab summit in Cairo.

The president stressed that Palestine has lived through “dark and catastrophic periods” aimed at wiping out its entire population due to the Israeli occupation, aggression and settlements.

He said a new attempt is dictating “solutions” aiming at reshaping the region’s landscape at the expense of the life of the Palestinian people, apparently referring to the US’s proposal to remove the local population from Gaza.

“The call to forcibly transfer the Palestinian people [from Gaza] is a smear in the face of humanity by all measures.”

What’s in the Egyptian plan for Gaza reconstruction?

As we’ve been reporting, an emergency Arab summit on Gaza reconstruction has adopted a plan proposed by Egypt.

Here’s what you need to know about the plan, based on Al Jazeera’s own reporting, as well as drafts of the plan reported on by the Reuters news agency and the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram:

The plan, proposed by Egypt, has called for political changes in the Strip to accompany reconstruction.

How much will the Gaza reconstruction plan cost?

As we already reported, the plan for post-war Gaza adopted by the emergency Arab summit today will cost $53bn, without details yet on where it will come from.

Here are some more details on the cost of rebuilding the Gaza Strip:

Final communique issued by Arab summit

The memo was released following the conclusion of the emergency summit held earlier on the reconstruction of Gaza.

Here are the most notable quotes from the communique:

Main events on March 4th

Egypt blasts Israel’s ‘extremist’ position on Gaza plan

Abdelatty, the Egyptian foreign minister, blasted Israel’s criticism of the plan as “unacceptable”, describing the Netanyahu government’s position as “stubborn and extremist”.

Abdelatty said that “there will be no peace, neither to Israel or to the region” without an independent Palestinian state.

“No single state should be allowed to impose its will on the international community,” he added.


Israel’s response to the Arab plan for Gaza comes as no surprise

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has released a statement rejecting the plan that’s been adopted by all of the Arab leaders at the emergency summit in Cairo. It said that Arab leaders failed to address the attacks on October 7, and the aftermath they caused in Israel.

However, the Israelis also say the Arab states didn’t “give President Trump’s plan a fair chance, saying that it would provide free will for the Palestinian people of Gaza to leave”.

But it’s worth mentioning that Arab states and many countries around the world have condemned the plan by the Americans because it would see the forced displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Israel also says that the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA are two organisations that it does not want to work with, which is why it has deemed UNRWA illegal, basing it on what they call “terrorist activity” within the organisation.

It’s no surprise that this is the Israeli reaction because Israel hasn’t really had a plan for the “day-after” in the Gaza Strip. It’s one of the biggest criticisms, in fact, from the Israeli public who say Israel has never had a vision for what it wanted to see after the war ended. And that’s why Israel has adopted the controversial plan by Trump.

Nonetheless, the Arab countries are saying this plan is the only way to move forward.

UN chief urges self-determination, freedom for Gaza after Arab summit

Antonio Guterres made the call in a series of posts on X, after attending the Arab summit on Gaza reconstruction in Cairo.

The UN secretary-general said the recovery in Gaza will take “more than concrete and steel”, emphasising the importance of “dignity, self-determination and security”.

“The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, to chart their own future, and to live on their land in freedom and security,” he said.

Guterres also addressed Israel’s blockade of Gaza, saying that “humanitarian aid is not negotiable” and “must flow without impediment”. He also called for “serious negotiations for the ceasefire in all its facets” to be “resumed without delay”.

Guterres’s posts on X echo his remarks at the summit on Tuesday, where he said Gaza “must remain an integral part of an independent, democratic and sovereign Palestinian state, with no reduction in its territory or forced transfer of its population”.

More from the White House

Earlier, we reported that the White House responded to the Egyptian proposal for Gaza by saying that Trump stands by his vision for the enclave, but that he welcomes input from Arab partners in the region.

We now have more from Brian Hughes, the spokesman for the White House National Security Council.

He said, “The current proposal does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance.

“President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas. We look forward to further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region.”

Trump brings up record on Israel-Palestine in State of the Union Address

The US President has harkened back to his first term in office in a brief reference to Israel and Palestine in his speech to the US Congress.

“In the Middle East, we’re bringing back our hostages from Gaza,” Trump said.

“In my first term, we achieved one of the most groundbreaking peace agreements in generations, the Abraham Accords,” he added, drawing applause from the chamber.

“Then and now we’re going to build on that foundation to create a more peaceful and prosperous future for the entire region,” he said. “A lot of things are happening in the Middle East, rough neighbourhood.”

Notably, though Trump did not refer to his plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip, and make it the “Riviera of the Middle East”, a proposal that has been criticised as ethnic cleansing.

The Abraham Accords led to Oct 7. Groundbreaking war achievement.

Who is Eyal Zamir, the Israeli army’s new chief of staff?

The incoming chief of staff of the Israeli army is retired Major-General Eyal Zamir, former director-general of the Defence Ministry, whose term begins today.

Zamir takes over from Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, who announced his resignation in January in anticipation of last week’s report into the military’s catastrophic failings during the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023.

Defence Minister Israel Katz, along with Netanyahu, picked Zamir for the role last month. He will command all Israeli military operations, including its deployments to Gaza, Syria and Lebanon.

Zamir has been considered for the role of chief of staff twice, but was passed over both times in favour of the outgoing Halevi and his predecessor, Aviv Kohavi.

Originally conscripted into the military in 1984, Zamir progressed through the ranks from tank officer to commander of the 7th Armored Brigade in 2003 and the 36th Armored Division in 2009.

Critically for his future success, he was Netanyahu’s military secretary from 2012 to 2015, then leader of Israel’s southern command for the next three years.

In his final year in the southern command, Zamir’s troops “confronted” Palestinian protesters from Gaza taking part in the Great March of Return; they killed more than 150 protesters and wounded 10,000 others, including 1,849 children, 424 women, 115 paramedics and 115 journalists.

‘This is an execution’: Palestinians decry Israel’s blockade

We have more from Palestinians in Gaza on Israel’s continuing blockade on all supplies into the Strip.

“What is this decision? It is an execution. What more do they want to do to us?” said Umm Akram Shalhoub, a displaced woman from Rafah.

“This is an execution. When they prevent everything from people, what is left? They destroyed our homes and they also prevent food and drink from reaching us. Who would accept this?”

Ahmed Abu Shabab, another displaced Palestinian from Rafah, said he feared the return of famine.

“We’ve experienced hunger and a lack of food, and the truth is that we were in a real famine, this is not a lie,” he said. “We could not find anything to eat for a week. Because of this, we wonder if famine could return again. The biggest surprise is that we are in the 21st century and the world allows this famine.”

Mohammed Abu Shalhoub called on the world to pressure Israel.

“This is a decision of genocide. Human rights organisations are standing and looking at us. Our children are starving. Before, we lived through a stage when we were hungry. We ate vegetables, grass and dry bread,” he said.

“There were days when we slept without food. We hope we will not return to this stage, and we hope the entire world will pressure the fascist state of Israel to give us our most basic rights.”

_{Dr Khaled Mohammed Abu Jari, 57, the head of the critical care department at Beit Hanoon Hospital, has his fast-breaking iftar meal with his family outside their tent in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip during Ramadan}

Amnesty calls for war crimes probe into Israel’s attacks on Lebanon

The prominent rights group says the Israeli military’s repeated and unlawful attacks on Lebanon’s healthcare facilities, ambulances and health workers during the war last year must be investigated as war crimes.

In findings released a short while ago, Amnesty said it investigated four Israeli attacks on healthcare facilities and vehicles in Beirut and south Lebanon between October 3 and October 9, 2024.

The attacks killed 19 healthcare workers, wounded 11 more and damaged or destroyed multiple ambulances and two medical facilities, it said.

Amnesty said its investigation – which included interviews with witnesses and family members of victims, as well as analyses of videos and images – did not find evidence that the facilities or vehicles were being used for military purposes at the time of the attacks.

“Israel’s unlawful attacks on medical facilities and personnel are not only serious violations of international humanitarian law and likely war crimes but also have devastating consequences for civilians more broadly,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director for research, policy, advocacy and campaigns.

“We call for the government of Lebanon, with the support of the international community, to step up and act to ensure that suspected perpetrators of war crimes can be held accountable. The new Lebanese government must grant the International Criminal Court jurisdiction over all Rome Statue crimes committed on or perpetrated from its territory,” she said.