Egypt preparing plan to rebuild Gaza with 'secure zones' for Palestinians: Reports

Egypt has been preparing a plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip without displacing the Palestinians, according to reports.

The Israel-Hamas War has devastated Gaza. The Israeli bombardment and ground battles between Israel and Hamas have turned large swathes of Gaza into rubble and have flattened entire neighbourhoods.

The report of Egypt’s plan in the making comes weeks after US President Donald Trump announced the United Stats will take over Gaza , expel all Palestinians and resettle them in Arab states in the neighbourhood, and rebuild Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East”. The Arab countries rejected the plan that essentially amounts to US-sponsored ethnic cleansing of Palestinians .

Secure zones, funding, governance — what’s there in Egypt’s plan

Egypt is developing a plan to rebuild Gaza with ‘secure zones’ inside the strip so that Palestinians can stay there while rubble is removed and reconstruction of buildings takes place, according to Associated Press and Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram newspaper.

The plan is designed to “refute American President Trump’s logic” and counter “any other visions or plans that aim to change the geographic and demographic structure of Gaza Strip”, as per Al-Ahram.

The AP has reported that a consortium of Egyptian and international companies will be tasked with rebuilding Gaza and options for the reconstruction are being explored in discussions with fellow Arab nations and European partners.

The secure zones will be equipped with mobile houses and shelters with humanitarian aid flowing in for the sustenance of residents, as per AP.

Two Egyptian official and Arab and Western diplomats told the news agency that Egypt has dicussed the plan with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, France, and Germany.

The plan calls for a three-stage reconstruction process that is expected to take up to five years, Egyptian officials told AP.

Steve Witkoff, the US Special Envoy to Middle East, has estiamated the reconstruction will take up to 10-15 years . The United Nations (UN) has estimated that around 92 per cent of all homes have either been damaged or destroyed in the war.

Egypt’s plan does not just cover reconstruction of the strip but also how it will be funded and who will govern the area once the war is over.

Officials told the AP that Egypt is discussing ways to fund the reconstruction, including an international conference on Gaza reconstruction.

The question of post-war Gaza’s governance is “central” to the plan, as per the news agency.

Egypt’s plan seeks to establish a Palestinian administration in Gaza that is not aligned with either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority (PA), two Egyptian officials told the agency.

The plan calls for the creation of a police force for Gaza made up of former PA policemen who remained in Gaza after Hamas tookover the strip in 2007 reinforced by Egyptian- and Western-trained forces, according to the agency.

However, the creation of an Arab multinational police force is also on the table if there is a “clear path” for Palestinian statehood, as per the agency.

France & Germany back Egypt’s plan

A Western diplomat told AP that France and Germany have backed Egypt’s plan that counter’s Trump’s vision for Gaza.

The diplomat further said that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi discussed the plan with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month. Similarly, an Egyptian official was reported as saying that Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also briefed German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and other European Union (EU) officials about the plan on the sidelines of last week’s Munich Security Conference.

The proposal is also expected to be discussed later this week in a meeting of Arab nations in Saudi Arabia and later this month at a summit of Arab nations.