Ibrahim Khazen and Mohammad Sio
16 February 2025•Update: 16 February 2025
CAIRO
Egypt’s foreign minister said Sunday that a plan for Gaza reconstruction is being drafted in coordination with Palestinian and Arab sides and with international backing.
Badr Abdelatty made the remarks during a meeting in Cairo with a US Congressional delegation led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Vice Chair Darrell Issa.
A Foreign Ministry statement said Abdelatty outlined Egypt's “intensive efforts to develop a comprehensive, multi-phase plan for early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, ensuring that Palestinians remain on their land.”
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for taking over Gaza and resettling its population to develop what he called “the Riviera of the Middle East.” The idea has been rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Abdelatty emphasized that the Egyptian “vision” for Gaza reconstruction is being drafted in coordination with the Palestinian Authority, Arab and Islamic nations, and the broader international community.
The top diplomat stressed the need for a “political horizon” to resolve the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict and break the cycle of recurring violence.
He reaffirmed Egypt's support for establishing a unified Palestinian state encompassing the West Bank and Gaza, based on the two-state solution.
Israel has occupied Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese territories for decades, refusing to withdraw or recognize an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, within pre-1967 borders.
Abdelatty underscored Egypt's expectation that the US will “continue playing a key role in implementing all phases of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and ensuring all parties uphold their commitments.”
He also called for the sustained, accelerated delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, citing the dire humanitarian conditions in the enclave.
A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
Israel has effectively turned Gaza into the world’s largest open-air prison, maintaining an 18-year blockade and forcing nearly 2 million of its 2.3 million residents into displacement amid dire shortages of food, water, and medicine due to deliberate restrictions.
