CAIRO/ISTANBUL 

Egypt and Qatar on Thursday pledged firm opposition to any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians, as the prime ministers of the two countries met in New Alamein city on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.  

A Cabinet statement said Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, reaffirmed their “categorical rejection” of proposals to transfer Gaza’s population and stressed coordination with the US to secure an immediate ceasefire and allow humanitarian aid.  

Egypt has also been pushing a $53 billion Gaza reconstruction plan, adopted by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in March. The five-year project, dismissed by Israel and the US, aims to rebuild the enclave without displacing its residents.  

Israel promoted scenarios linked to President Donald Trump’s plan to transfer Palestinians to neighboring states, a proposal rejected by Egypt, Jordan, and other regional actors.
The talks came amid renewed mediation for a Gaza ceasefire.  

On Aug. 18, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal from mediators, with Israeli media saying it mirrored a plan by US envoy Steve Witkoff to exchange 10 captives and 18 bodies for a 60-day truce and talks to end the war. Reports said Israeli forces could redeploy near the border to facilitate aid.  

Hamas has reiterated its readiness to release all captives in exchange for ending the war, Israeli withdrawal, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.  

Israel estimates 50 hostages remain in Gaza, including 20 alive, while rights groups report more than 10,800 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons under torture, starvation, and medical neglect.  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not responded to the recent proposal for a Gaza ceasefire. Instead, he ordered his army to accelerate plans to occupy Gaza City, a move that drew international warnings of catastrophic consequences for Palestinians. 

Israel has killed nearly 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine. 

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his 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 for its war on the enclave.