European countries hail Arab plan to rebuild for Gaza
Published: 06:03 PM,Mar 08,2025 | EDITED : 10:03 PM,Mar 08,2025
Palestinian orphans pose for a picture at the war-damaged Al Amal orphanage in Gaza City. — AFP
BERLIN: Britain, France, Germany and Italy on Saturday backed a proposal by Arab nations to rebuild Gaza as a 'realistic path'. The counter-proposal to US President Donald Trump's plan to take over Gaza and displace its residents 'promises -- if implemented -- swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza,' the foreign ministers of the four countries said in a joint statement. The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at an emergency meeting in Saudi Arabia, on Saturday formally adopted a plan put forward by the Arab League. The Egyptian-crafted plan, an alternative to Trump's widely condemned takeover, proposes to rebuild the Gaza Strip under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority. Unlike the Trump plan, it aims to do so without displacing the territory's 2.4 million inhabitants, who have suffered 17 months of war.
The OIC, which represents the Muslim world, in a statement urged 'the international community and international and regional funding institutions to swiftly provide the necessary support for the plan'. The Egyptian proposal -- which does not outline a role for Hamas, which controls Gaza -- has already been rejected by both the US and Israel. But the European foreign ministers said it 'shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza'. 'We are clear that Hamas must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more,' they said in their statement. 'We commend the serious efforts of all involved stakeholders and appreciate the important signal the Arab states have sent by jointly developing this recovery and reconstruction plan,' the statement added. 'We are committed to working with the Arab initiative, the Palestinians and Israel to address those issues together.'
Meanwhile, more than 50 freed Israeli hostages urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fully implement the Gaza ceasefire deal and secure the release of those still held in the Palestinian territory. 'We who have experienced the inferno know that a return to war is life-threatening for those still left behind,' a group of 56 freed hostages said in a letter posted on the social media platform Instagram on Friday evening. 'Implement the agreement in full, in one single manoeuvre.' Among those to sign the letter was Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two young sons died while held captive in Gaza. Their plea came as Hamas released a video showing Israeli hostage Matan Angrest alive. In the footage, Angrest also calls on the Israeli authorities to implement the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire ended on March 1 after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, though hostilities have not resumed. While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second phase, which should lead to a permanent end to the war. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian groups during the 2023 attack on Israel, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has said are dead.
On Saturday, a high-level Hamas delegation was expected to hold talks with Egyptian officials over the second phase of the ceasefire, two senior Hamas officials said the day before. 'The delegation will meet with Egyptian officials on Saturday to discuss the latest developments, assess progress in implementing the ceasefire agreement and address matters related to launching the second phase of the deal,' one official said.
During its talks with Egyptian mediators, the Hamas delegation will demand that Israel 'implement the agreement, begin negotiations for the second phase and open the border crossings to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip,' he said. The Palestinian group wants a 'comprehensive agreement that ensures a permanent and complete ceasefire,' the other official said. He said Hamas's demands for the second phase include a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an end to the blockade, the reconstruction of the territory and financial support based on the decisions of this week's Arab summit in Cairo. — AFP
The OIC, which represents the Muslim world, in a statement urged 'the international community and international and regional funding institutions to swiftly provide the necessary support for the plan'. The Egyptian proposal -- which does not outline a role for Hamas, which controls Gaza -- has already been rejected by both the US and Israel. But the European foreign ministers said it 'shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza'. 'We are clear that Hamas must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more,' they said in their statement. 'We commend the serious efforts of all involved stakeholders and appreciate the important signal the Arab states have sent by jointly developing this recovery and reconstruction plan,' the statement added. 'We are committed to working with the Arab initiative, the Palestinians and Israel to address those issues together.'
Meanwhile, more than 50 freed Israeli hostages urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fully implement the Gaza ceasefire deal and secure the release of those still held in the Palestinian territory. 'We who have experienced the inferno know that a return to war is life-threatening for those still left behind,' a group of 56 freed hostages said in a letter posted on the social media platform Instagram on Friday evening. 'Implement the agreement in full, in one single manoeuvre.' Among those to sign the letter was Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two young sons died while held captive in Gaza. Their plea came as Hamas released a video showing Israeli hostage Matan Angrest alive. In the footage, Angrest also calls on the Israeli authorities to implement the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire ended on March 1 after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, though hostilities have not resumed. While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second phase, which should lead to a permanent end to the war. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian groups during the 2023 attack on Israel, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has said are dead.
On Saturday, a high-level Hamas delegation was expected to hold talks with Egyptian officials over the second phase of the ceasefire, two senior Hamas officials said the day before. 'The delegation will meet with Egyptian officials on Saturday to discuss the latest developments, assess progress in implementing the ceasefire agreement and address matters related to launching the second phase of the deal,' one official said.
During its talks with Egyptian mediators, the Hamas delegation will demand that Israel 'implement the agreement, begin negotiations for the second phase and open the border crossings to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip,' he said. The Palestinian group wants a 'comprehensive agreement that ensures a permanent and complete ceasefire,' the other official said. He said Hamas's demands for the second phase include a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an end to the blockade, the reconstruction of the territory and financial support based on the decisions of this week's Arab summit in Cairo. — AFP