CAIRO (Reuters) – Israel criticized a plan put forward by Arab states for Gaza’s reconstruction on Tuesday, while Palestinian militant group Hamas welcomed it.
Shortly after a summit of Arab leaders in Cairo, the Israeli foreign ministry said the reconstruction plan “failed to address” the realities of the situation following Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
“Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack, which resulted in thousands of Israeli deaths and hundreds of kidnappings, is not mentioned, nor is there any condemnation of this murderous terrorist entity,” the foreign ministry said.
Hamas, however, called for providing the means to ensure the plan’s success and considered the summit a “step forward” for Arab and Islamic support behind the Palestinian cause.
The Palestinian Islamist group urged Arab leaders to compel Israel to commit to its ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
“We value the Arab stance rejecting the attempts to displace our people,” Hamas added.
Representatives from Arab states met in Cairo on Tuesday and adopted Egypt’s plan for Gaza’s reconstruction that would cost $53 billion and avoid resettling Palestinians.
Israel meanwhile reiterated support for U.S.
President Donald Trump’s idea, which aims to displace Palestinians and relocate them to Jordan and Egypt, saying Arab states had rejected it without giving it a chance.
Israel also criticized the statement’s reliance on the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA, which it said had previously “demonstrated corruption and support for terrorism”.
The Arab statement condemned Israel’s latest decision to halt the entry of aid into Gaza, called for an end to Israel’s “aggression” in the West Bank and affirmed the vital role of UNRWA in Gaza and the West Bank.
(Reporting by Jaidaa Taha, Muhammad Al Gebaly and Nidal Al-Mughrabi, writing by Jaidaa Taha; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Stephen Coates)
