UPDATE - Hamas welcomes Gaza reconstruction plan adopted at Arab summit in Cairo

ADDS MORE DETAILS, BACKGROUND

By Mohammad Sio​​​​​​​

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Palestinian resistance group Hamas welcomed a reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip that was adopted Tuesday at an emergency Arab summit in Cairo.

It also backed the summit’s call for a political and economic boycott of Israel.

The summit reaffirmed its rejection of the displacement of Palestinians from their land, describing Egypt’s plan as a “comprehensive Arab plan” and confirming its commitment to providing financial, material and political support for its implementation.

During his speech at the summit, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced that Egypt had developed a plan to reconstruct Gaza without displacing Palestinians. He called for international and regional support for the plan and the establishment of a fund to implement it.

Hamas said in a statement after the summit that the gathering marked a significant step toward Arab and Islamic alignment with the Palestinian cause, especially amid continued Israeli attacks and displacement efforts in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The group praised Arab leaders for rejecting attempts to displace Palestinians or undermine their national cause, calling it a historic message that a second Nakba, or Catastrophe, will not be allowed.

It welcomed a call to boycott Israel commercially and politically, describing it as a “highly effective strategic move to isolate Israel and pressure it into complying with international law.”

Hamas urged all measures to ensure the reconstruction plan’s success.

It also commended Egypt’s efforts in preparing an international reconstruction conference and endorsed the formation of a community support committee to oversee aid, reconstruction and Gaza’s governance as part of a Palestinian state.

Hamas emphasized the need to implement the reconstruction plan, ensure the urgent delivery of aid, and work to solidify the ceasefire and ensure that its terms are followed as agreed.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit confirmed at a press conference that Egypt’s plan for Gaza’s reconstruction is the Arab response to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate the Gaza Strip’s inhabitants.

Trump has repeatedly called to “take over” Gaza and resettle its population to develop it into a tourist destination. His plan was rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.

One of the key elements of the Arab plan for Gaza’s reconstruction is an initial phase lasting six months, followed by a two-year period, with a firm rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians from their land. The third phase is the “Second Reconstruction Phase,” which is estimated to last two and a half years.

The plan includes the formation of a Gaza administration committee to run the enclave for the six-month transitional period. This committee will be independent and composed of non-partisan “technocrats” operating under the umbrella of the Palestinian government.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasem told Anadolu that the group would not be part of any administrative arrangements for Gaza’s future unless there is a national consensus.

Nearly 48,400 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 111,000 have been injured in a brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza since October 2023. The assault, which left the enclave in ruins, was paused under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold on Jan. 19.

Israel halted the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza on Sunday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to start negotiations on the second phase of a ceasefire deal between Tel Aviv and Hamas.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.