A plan for Gaza drawn up by Egypt as a counter to US President Donald 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.
The Egyptian vision for Gaza, which is due to be presented at an Arab League summit on Tuesday, does not specify whether the proposal would be implemented before or after any permanent peace deal to end the war triggered by the Oct 7, 2023 attacks.
Trump's plan, which envisioned clearing Gaza of its Palestinian inhabitants, appeared to back away from long-standing US Middle East policy focused on a two-state solution and sparked anger among Palestinians and Arab nations.
Who will run Gaza after the conflict remains the great unanswered question in negotiations over the future of the enclave. Hamas has so far rejected the idea of any proposal being imposed on Palestinians by other states. Cairo's plan does not tackle critical issues such as who will foot the bill for Gaza's reconstruction or outline any specific details around how Gaza would be governed, nor how an armed group as powerful as Hamas would be pushed aside.
Under the Egyptian plan, a Governance Assistance Mission would replace the Hamas-run government in Gaza for an unspecified interim period and would be responsible for humanitarian aid and for kick-starting reconstruction of the enclave, which has been devastated by the war.
"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 Egyptian plan's objectives said.
Details of Egypt's proposed framework for Gaza's future have not been previously reported. Egypt, Jordan and Gulf Arab states have for almost a month 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. Reuters was unable to determine whether Arab leaders would support the plan presented by Egypt. 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".
The plan firmly rejects the US proposal for mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, which Arab states such as Egypt and Jordan see as a security threat. The draft proposal was shared with Reuters by an official involved in Gaza negotiations who wished to remain anonymous because the draft has not yet been made public.
STABILISATION FORCE
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the group knows of no such proposal by Egypt. "The day after in Gaza must only be decided by the Palestinians," he said. "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."
The Egyptian draft does not mention future elections. Egypt's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the office of Israel's prime minister, whose support for any plan is seen as vital to secure a commitment that any future reconstruction will not be destroyed again.
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