France, Germany, Italy and UK back Gaza reconstruction plan

The foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom released a joint statement Saturday putting their support behind an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

“The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises — if implemented — swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza,” they said in the statement.

Under the plan that is expected to cost $53 billion — originally drawn up by Egypt — Gaza would be rebuilt over five years and would avoid displacing Palestinians. It proposes an administrative committee of independent Palestinian technocrats govern after the end of the war between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian militant group.

U.S. President Donald Trump initially rejected the plan, along with Israel, and has instead suggested that the Gaza Strip be turned into a “Middle East Riviera.” The Trump idea was quickly rebuked for its proposal to resettle Palestinians outside the territory.

Trump’s plan would take 10 to 15 years and make Gaza uninhabitable in the interim.

Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, walked back Trump’s condemnation of the Arab-backed plan on Thursday, telling reporters that “there are a lot of compelling features to it. We need more discussion about it, but it’s a good faith first step from the Egyptians.”

Foreign ministers from Muslim nations, meanwhile, on Saturday rejected calls by the U.S. to empty the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian population and backed a plan for an administrative committee of Palestinians to govern the territory to allow reconstruction to go ahead.

At the same time, Hamas reported “positive signals” in talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on starting negotiations on the delayed second phase of its cease-fire deal with Israel. Spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua gave no details, but said the group is willing to start talks and its delegation has been discussing the means to do so, the AP reported.

The foreign ministers gathered in Saudi Arabia for a special session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to address the situation in Gaza.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers of Muslim nations rejected calls by Trump to empty the Gaza Strip of its Palestinian population and backed a plan for an administrative committee of Palestinians to govern the territory to allow reconstruction to go ahead.

The foreign ministers gathered in Saudi Arabia for a special session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to address the situation in Gaza. The cease-fire’s second phase is meant to bring the release of remaining hostages, a lasting truce and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.