President Abbas, Hamas Commends Reconstruction Plan For Gaza

CAIRO, March 5 (Bernama-WAFA/Anadolu) -- President Mahmoud Abbas has commended the Egyptian-Palestinian-Arab plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, emphasising that it must take place with Palestinians remaining in their homeland and without displacement.

According to Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA), Abbas called on US President Donald Trump to support these efforts.

Speaking at the emergency Arab Summit in Cairo on Tuesday, the President warned of serious challenges threatening the Palestinian cause, particularly the calls for the forced displacement of Palestinians, which he firmly rejected. 

He also condemned Israeli policies aimed at imposing a colonial settlement reality in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, saying these actions seek to undermine the two-state solution and eliminate the Palestinian cause.

Separately, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported that the Palestinian resistance group Hamas welcomed a reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip, backing 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 emphasised 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.

According to Anadolu, 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.

-- BERNAMA-WAFA/ANADOLU