Foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom announced their support on Saturday for an Arab-backed plan to rebuild Gaza, which is projected to cost $53 billion. 

The European ministers described the initiative as a “realistic path” to improving conditions in the war-torn enclave and emphasized the importance of avoiding the displacement of Palestinians.

The plan which was originally proposed by Egypt and adopted by Arab leaders earlier in the week, outlines a five-year reconstruction effort led by an administrative committee of independent Palestinian technocrats. The temporary body would be supervised by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and tasked with managing humanitarian aid and Gaza’s governance. 

The European ministers voiced their commitment to working alongside Arab states on the initiative. The ministers also underscored that Hamas “must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more.” 

The Arab-backed proposal emerged as an alternative to a U.S. plan put forward by President Donald Trump, which envisions transforming Gaza into a “Middle East Riviera.” Trump’s plan has been criticized for suggesting the resettlement of Palestinians outside Gaza. 

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein criticized the proposal for failing to reflect post-October 7 realities, arguing that it remains “rooted in outdated perspectives.” 

Foreign ministers from Muslim-majority nations voiced support for the Arab-backed initiative and rejected calls to relocate Gaza’s Palestinian population. 

Separately, Hamas officials reported “positive signals” in Cairo-based talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar regarding the delayed second phase of a ceasefire agreement with Israel.