The White House on Tuesday voiced its opposition to an Arab leaders’ summit proposal for Gaza’s reconstruction, arguing that it fails to address the current conditions in the devastated enclave.
“The current proposal does not reflect the reality that Gaza is uninhabitable, with residents unable to live humanely amid widespread debris and unexploded ordnance,” National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes stated in an email to Anadolu.
He added, “President (Donald) Trump remains committed to rebuilding Gaza free from Hamas and looks forward to further discussions to bring peace and prosperity to the region.”
The emergency Arab summit in Cairo on Tuesday endorsed Egypt’s $53 billion reconstruction plan for Gaza, emphasizing that Palestinians should not be displaced from their land.
The summit also tasked an Arab legal committee with assessing whether Palestinian displacement could be classified as a crime of genocide. Additionally, it urged the UN Security Council to deploy international peacekeeping forces in the West Bank and Gaza to support the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Arab initiative follows Trump’s controversial proposal to “take over” Gaza and relocate Palestinians, aiming to transform the region into what he described as the “Riviera of the Middle East.” His plan was widely rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who condemned it as ethnic cleansing.
Since October 2023, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 48,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 111,000, leaving the territory in ruins. The assault was temporarily halted under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took effect on January 19.
On Sunday, Israel blocked humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to engage in negotiations for the second phase of a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
