LEADERS of the Arab world are holding an emergency summit in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss plans for the potential reconstruction of the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s bombardment.
Several foreign ministers from the Middle East met in the Egyptian capital on Monday for a preliminary session in a bid to rebuild Palestine without displacing its people, AFP reports.
This comes following comments from US President Donald Trump previously saying that Gaza’s people should be resettled elsewhere and the US would “take over” the region, in comments that amount to ethnic cleansing.
Since his initial comments he has shared on social media an AI-generated video of his "Riviera" Gaza vision — which includes images of him and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu lounging by a hotel pool drinking beer.
That draft reconstruction plan will be presented to Arab League leaders, including those of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Tuesday. EU Council President Antonio Costa is also expected to attend.
Trump’s plan would see some two million Palestinian people “resettled” to Arab nations.
According to UN estimates, the cost of rebuilding Gaza is roughly about $53 billion (£41.6bn).
While the full extent of the damage will only be known once inspectors have full access to the territory, the UN estimated from using satellite data that nearly 70% of all structures in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. This includes over 245,000 homes.
Another UN estimate says that the war has littered Gaza with over 50 million tons of rubble — roughly 12 times the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
This follows Israel being accused of war crimes after it stopped the entry of all food and other supplies into Gaza on Sunday and warned of “additional consequences” for Hamas if their fragile ceasefire is not extended.
