Egypt Proposes Gaza Reconstruction Plan with Transitional Governance

The $53 billion plan spans five years and includes temporary housing, infrastructure redevelopment, and security arrangements under Palestinian administration.

Egypt’s reconstruction plan for Gaza calls for “transitional governance and security arrangements that preserve the prospects of a two-state solution,” Al-Qahera News reported.

The plan emphasizes that “Gaza is an integral part of the Palestinian territories” and warns that stripping Palestinians of statehood aspirations will fuel further instability.

To facilitate reconstruction, the plan proposes temporary housing for over 1.5 million displaced individuals in seven designated locations. The rebuilding process is estimated to cost $53 billion and will take five years to complete.

A 112-page document accompanying the plan includes detailed maps and AI-generated images depicting proposed housing developments, parks, and community centers. The early recovery phase, lasting six months, will focus on clearing debris and setting up temporary shelters. The first phase of reconstruction, spanning two years, involves constructing 200,000 housing units at a cost of $20 billion.

The second phase, lasting two and a half years with a $30 billion budget, includes an additional 200,000 housing units, an airport, a commercial seaport, a technology hub, and beachfront hotels.

Al-Qahera News reported that Egypt’s plan will run parallel to broader political efforts aimed at achieving a two-state solution.

The proposal includes the formation of a transitional Gaza administration committee composed of independent technocrats operating under the Palestinian government for six months. It calls on the international community to support efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the US to maintain the ceasefire.

The plan warns that a ceasefire collapse would obstruct humanitarian aid and reconstruction, stressing the need for a gradual political roadmap ensuring Palestinians’ right to their land and a contiguous state encompassing Gaza and the West Bank.

Hamas, in response, stated it would not participate in post-war governance unless a national consensus is reached.

The plan suggests discussions on managing the early recovery phase to ensure Palestinian ownership while aligning with international legal frameworks and UN Security Council resolutions.

It calls for supporting Palestinian Authority efforts to strengthen its institutions and urges financial and political backing for Egyptian and Jordanian initiatives to train Palestinian police forces. It also raises the possibility of deploying international peacekeeping forces in Gaza and the West Bank.

The proposal advocates for Palestinian elections within a year, conditional on security and political stability, and suggests establishing a buffer zone after debris removal, along with 20 temporary housing sites involving Egyptian and foreign companies.

The UN Security Council may consider deploying peacekeeping forces in Palestinian territories as part of a broader effort to establish a Palestinian state, according to the plan. 

Egypt is expected to present the plan at an emergency Arab summit in Cairo, seeking regional consensus and countering US proposals for Gaza’s population displacement.

Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal military campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 48,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 111,000. The offensive devastated the enclave before a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement took effect on January 19.

On Sunday, Israel halted humanitarian aid entry into Gaza after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to negotiate the second phase of a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and 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.