Arab leaders meeting in Cairo on Tuesday are set to endorse a counterproposal to U.S. President Donald Trump's call for the Gaza Strip to be depopulated of Palestinians and transformed into a beach destination, even as the continuation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is uncertain.
It's hard to see how Trump's Gaza plan would be carried out without Israel resuming the war and launching an even bloodier offensive than the last one, which left much of Gaza in ruins and killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.
Israel is again blocking food, fuel, medicine and other desperately needed supplies from entering Gaza to try to get Hamas to accept an alternative U.S. proposal for the ceasefire itself and the release of hostages. The suspension of aid drew widespread criticism, with human rights groups saying that it violated Israel's obligations as an occupying power under international law.
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Palestinian president says he'll appoint a deputy and hold elections next year ‘if conditions allow’
The Palestinians have not held presidential elections in the 20 years since Mahmoud Abbas, an opponent of Hamas, was elected. He has repeatedly called off plans for elections, citing the divisions with Hamas and Israel’s refusal to allow the vote to take place in east Jerusalem.
Abbas also told the Arab summit in Cairo he will grant amnesty to people expelled from his Fatah movement. That’s a step that could clear the way for his rival, Mohammed Dahlan, to play a role in the party.
The Gaza-born Dahlan, who lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates, has told aides he has no interest in returning to the West Bank or Gaza. But his close ties to the UAE could make him a key player in Gaza reconstruction efforts.
Israel has rejected any future role in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority, saying it is corrupt and not committed to peace. It appears unlikely that Abbas’ new proposals would change that thinking.
Israel says it killed a Palestinian militant who shot at a West Bank checkpoint
The Israeli military said none of its soldiers were wounded.
The army statement did not elaborate on the shooting Tuesday near the Palestinian town of Burqa, east of Ramallah. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian health officials.
Tensions have soared in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during the war in Gaza.
Egypt produces 112-page plan for rebuilding Gaza
Egypt has published a detailed, 112-page plan for rebuilding the Gaza Strip by 2030 without removing its population.
The ambitious, $53 billion plan is a counter to President Donald Trump’s call to remove Gaza’s around 2 million Palestinians permanently so the U.S. can develop the territory as a tourist site for others.
The first phase of the Egyptian plan, which is expected to be endorsed by Middle Eastern leaders later Tuesday, calls for starting the removal of unexploded ordnance and clearing the more than 50 million tons of rubble left by Israel’s bombardment and military offensives.
Hundreds of thousands of temporary housing units would be set up where Gaza’s population could live while reconstruction takes place. The rubble would be recycled, and some of it would be used as infill to create expanded lands on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast.
In the following years, the plan envisages completely reshaping the strip, building “sustainable, green and walkable” housing and urban areas, with renewable energy. It renovates agricultural lands and creates industrial zones and large park areas.
It also calls for opening an airport, a fishing port and a commercial port. The Oslo peace accords in the 1990s called for the opening of an airport and commercial port in Gaza, but the projects withered as the peace process collapsed.
Israeli airstrike kills a Hamas leader in West Bank
Hamas mourned the death of Aysar al-Saadi, a senior commander in its al-Qassam Brigades, who was killed Tuesday by an Israeli airstrike in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
Israel has been waging a major military operation in the northern West Bank for over a month. Hamas accused Israel of resorting to aerial bombardments due to its military failures on the ground.
“This new crime will not stop the growing wave of Palestinian resistance,” Hamas said in a statement.
Al-Saadi, who had survived multiple assassination attempts, was targeted amid intense armed clashes between Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces in Jenin, according to the militant group.
Israeli drone strike kills a suspected Hezbollah member in Lebanon
An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed one person, the state-run National News Agency reported.
Local media outlets said the victim of the strike was a member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force.
Israel has killed several Hezbollah officials in drone strikes in different parts of Lebanon since the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war ended in late November.
29 children evacuated from Gaza to Jordan for medical treatment
Palestinian health officials say 29 children have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Jordan for medical treatment.
Jordan's King Abdullah II offered to take in 2,000 children for medical treatment during a White House meeting with President Donald Trump last month.
The offer came after Trump suggested Jordan and Egypt accept large numbers of Palestinian refugees from Gaza as part of his proposal to depopulate the war-ravaged territory and redevelop it as a tourist destination. The two Arab countries, both close U.S. allies, have adamantly rejected any such plan.
Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza said the 29 children, accompanied by 43 relatives, traveled to Israel en route to Jordan for treatment.
Jordan said the 2,000 children would be brought to the kingdom in batches, with each child accompanied by up to two family members. It said the initiative was part of its broader humanitarian efforts in Gaza, where it has established field hospitals and airdropped aid.
Arab leaders meet to approve counterproposal to Trump’s Gaza plan
Arab leaders meeting in Cairo are set to endorse a counterproposal to U.S. President Donald Trump's call for the Gaza Strip to be depopulated and transformed into a beach destination, even as the continuation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is uncertain.
The summit hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is expected to include the leaders of regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose support is crucial for any postwar plan.
Israel has meanwhile embraced what it says is an alternative U.S. proposal for the ceasefire itself and the release of hostages taken in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. It has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza to try to get Hamas to accept the new proposal and has warned of additional consequences, raising fears of a return to war.
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