Arab leaders are set to gather in Saudi Arabia on Friday to formulate a unified response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to transform Gaza into a luxury tourism hub while displacing its Palestinian population.
The meeting, involving key regional players such as Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, will serve as a precursor to a broader Arab summit scheduled for March 4. A subsequent meeting of Islamic nations is also expected, according to Egypt’s foreign ministry.
Originally announced as an emergency summit by Egypt in early February, the gathering comes five weeks after Trump floated his plan. The delay underscores the difficulty Arab nations face in reaching consensus on a viable alternative. The Egyptian government has proposed a 10-to-20-year reconstruction plan for Gaza, funded by Gulf states, that would exclude Hamas from governance while allowing its 2.1 million residents to remain.
However, Arab states have yet to agree on a governance framework for Gaza. Egypt’s state-run Al Ahram Weekly reported that Cairo’s plan has not secured full regional support due to disagreements over who should administer the enclave post-reconstruction. Egyptian officials have not yet commented on these reports, but discussions remain ongoing.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has claimed that his country could fully rebuild Gaza in just three years, restoring it to a state “better than it was before.” He made the assertion without outlining a specific execution strategy. However, international assessments suggest a much longer timeline, with the World Bank, European Union, and United Nations estimating a full reconstruction could take a decade and cost over $50 billion.
The joint international assessment states that merely restoring essential services—such as healthcare, education, and rubble removal—would take at least three years. Housing reconstruction alone is projected to cost $15 billion, adding further complications to Egypt’s ambitious timeline.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian government and private real estate developers are actively positioning themselves to play a significant role in Gaza’s reconstruction, eyeing contracts worth billions of dollars. Speaking at a press conference in Egypt’s new administrative capital, Madbouly highlighted Egypt’s prior experience with large-scale construction projects, suggesting that similar expertise could be applied to rebuilding Gaza.
Despite Egypt’s claims, Trump stated on Wednesday that he had not yet reviewed Cairo’s plan. With divisions among Arab nations and skepticism from international bodies, the coming weeks will be critical in shaping a postwar vision for Gaza that balances regional interests, humanitarian concerns, and political realities.
