The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and Britain announced on Saturday their support for an Arab-backed $53 billion plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing Palestinians from the territory.
“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,” the ministers stated in a joint declaration.
Under the proposal, a committee would oversee humanitarian aid and manage Gaza’s affairs temporarily under the Palestinian Authority’s supervision.
The statement from the four European nations emphasized their commitment to working with the Arab initiative, acknowledging the “important signal” sent by Arab states in formulating the plan.
Additionally, it asserted that Hamas “must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more” and reaffirmed support for “the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda.”
Drafted by Egypt and approved by Arab leaders on Tuesday, the plan has been rejected by Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump, who has proposed his own vision to transform Gaza into a “Middle East Riviera.” The Egyptian initiative calls for an administrative body of independent Palestinian technocrats to govern Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas concludes.
