Egypt is developing a plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip that does not foresee the removal of Palestinians from their territory, as Arab states are attempting to downplay US President Donald Trump's proposal to remove residents from the area and for the United States to take control of the territory.
The plan, according to a report by Egypt's state media outlet Al-Ahram, calls for the creation of "safe zones" inside Gaza, where Palestinians would be able to stay while construction companies from Egypt and other countries rebuild infrastructure.
The three safe zones will operate for an initial six-month period, according to plan.
Mobile homes could be created and the delivery of humanitarian aid would be enabled, the plan foresees, among other things.
This reconstruction project - which could take five years - would provide thousands of jobs for Gaza residents, an Egyptian official told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.
Two Egyptian officials and Western diplomats told the AP that Cairo is discussing the plan with officials in Europe, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The negotiations are said to be including budget allocations.
On February 4, Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a meeting at the White House, that "the United States will take control of the Gaza Strip and work in it."
"We will own it," Trump had said.
According to the American president, the Palestinians currently living there will have to be permanently relocated to Arab countries in the region and that the United States will be at the forefront of efforts to transform Gaza into the "river of the Middle East."
More than 2.3 million people live in Gaza, and most of them have already been displaced as a result of the 16-month war between the Israeli army and Hamas - a Palestinian group designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.
The Palestinians have said loudly that they will not leave their land.
According to media reports, Saudi Arabia is also advancing a plan to overthrow Trump's plan.
Egypt, Jordan and the Emirates are believed to be involved in these efforts, as they have said they are not willing to accommodate the Gaza population.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who arrived in Israel on February 15 as part of a visit to the Middle East, expressed full support for Israel's goals in the Gaza Strip and said that Hamas "must be exterminated."
Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire agreement to end fighting instigated by the extremist group, which attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people.
However, the ceasefire remains fragile, although Hamas is releasing Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Tel Aviv./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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