European Nations Endorse $53 Billion Arab Plan for Gaza Reconstruction

Foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom announced support for a plan that would transfer governance away from Hamas.

A view of tents in front of a ruined high-rise building in Gaza City, Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip on February 24, 2025. In winter and cold, Palestinian citizens continue their daily lives in the ruins of their homes. (Photo by Youssef Alzanoun / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) Photo by YOUSSEF ALZANOUN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Several European nations are throwing their weight behind an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians.

Foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom announced on March 8 that they supported a plan drawn up by Egypt and adopted by several Arab nations earlier in the week.

“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 said in a joint statement.

The plan would mandate that the Hamas terrorist group can no longer rule Gaza and must not present any threat to Israel.

It would also create an administrative committee of independent Palestinian professionals to oversee Gaza’s governance after the end of the war between Israel and Hamas.

The committee would be responsible for the oversight of humanitarian aid and managing the province’s affairs for a temporary period under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority.

Israel and the United States have rejected the plan.

“President [Donald] Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said earlier this week.

“We look forward to further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region.”

Trump has proposed that the United States should take over Gaza and rebuild the territory into a “Middle East Riviera.” Trump has thus far refused to rule out using military force to accomplish that goal.

Under Trump’s plan, the roughly 2 million Palestinians who call Gaza home would be permanently relocated to other nations.

Leaders from throughout the Middle East have resoundingly rejected Trump’s proposal, and it is unclear how the United States would go about relocating the native Palestinian population, given that the forcible relocation of civilians from occupied territories has been recognized as a war crime since the end of World War II.

The statement issued by the four European ministers on March 8 said that they were “committed to working with the Arab initiative,” further dividing U.S. and European interests on foreign policy.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Palestinian Authority, said he welcomed the Egyptian idea and urged Trump to support such a plan that would not involve displacing Palestinian residents.

Abbas also said he was ready to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in Gaza should the deal be finalized.

Any reconstruction funding for the plan’s $53 billion price tag would require large investments from oil-rich Gulf Arab states such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, which have the requisite funds to carry out the plan.

The UAE, which views Hamas and many other Islamist groups as an existential threat, wants an immediate and complete disarmament of Hamas as part of the deal, while other Arab countries have advocated a gradual approach.

Reuters contributed to this report.