**European Leaders Endorse Arab Plan for Gaza Reconstruction**

**Despite support from major European nations, key stakeholders, including Israel and the U.S., remain opposed to the proposal.**

With over 90% of homes in Gaza reported as damaged or destroyed, leading European nations have rallied around an Arab-backed plan aimed at the region's reconstruction. The ambitious initiative, developed by Egypt and endorsed by various Arab leaders, is estimated to cost $53 billion (£41 billion) and is designed to avert the displacement of Palestinians currently in the territory. However, this proposal has been met with resistance from both Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump, who has previously offered an alternative vision for the Gaza Strip.

On Saturday, the foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy, and Britain praised the Arab plan as "realistic." In a joint statement, they asserted that the proposal was pivotal in ensuring "swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions" faced by Gazans. The plan suggests that Gaza be temporarily governed by a committee of independent experts, along with the deployment of international peacekeepers to support humanitarian efforts while managing the territory's affairs alongside the Palestinian Authority.

This initiative comes at a time of rising anxiety that the tenuous ceasefire currently in place could break down following the expiration of its first phase on March 1. Israel has deliberately obstructed aid deliveries in an attempt to influence Hamas into agreeing to a U.S. proposal aimed at lengthening the ceasefire, which includes the release of more hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. However, Hamas remains firm in its insistence that the next round of the ceasefire must commence as originally planned, namely the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.

In a new development, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that a negotiating team will head to Qatar on Monday to engage in discussions regarding the prolongation of the ceasefire. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Hamas, Abdel Latif al-Qanoua, acknowledged "positive indicators" for talks set for the upcoming week.

This Arab-backed reconstruction plan emerges as a counterpoint to Trump's proposal which entailed a more extensive U.S. role in Gaza and the resettlement of its inhabitants. Egypt introduced the plan during an emergency Arab League summit, receiving a warm reception from both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. Nevertheless, the White House and Israeli officials criticized the plan for failing to consider on-ground realities. Brian Hughes, representing Trump’s National Security Council, remarked that "residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance," standing by the U.S. vision for Gaza that seeks to liberate it from Hamas's influence.

The joint statement from Europe’s foreign ministers emphasized that Hamas should neither govern Gaza nor pose a threat to Israel, reiterating their support for the Palestinian Authority’s central role in this reconstruction phase. The ongoing conflict has displaced nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million inhabitants since Israel's military operations commenced in response to a deadly Hamas attack in October 2023, which claimed the lives of around 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of an additional 251 individuals. The humanitarian toll has been devastating, with over 48,000 Palestinians reported killed amid extensive aerial bombardments.