The United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy expressed their support for the Arab League’s plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip

The United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy endorsed on Saturday a proposal from Muslim-majority countries to rebuild the Gaza Strip.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of these four countries emphasized that the initiative “promises—if implemented—a rapid and sustainable improvement in the catastrophic living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza.” The proposal serves as an alternative to U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, which aimed to take control of the enclave and displace its residents.

On Saturday, during an emergency meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), composed of 57 member states, formally adopted the plan presented by the Arab League. Designed by Egypt, the project seeks to rebuild Gaza under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority, without displacing its 2.4 million inhabitants, who have endured 17 months of war.

In a statement, the OIC urged the international community and financial institutions to provide immediate support for the initiative. However, the Egyptian proposal—which excludes any role for Hamas, the current governing group in Gaza—was rejected by both the United States and Israel.

Despite this, European ministers stated that the proposal “offers a realistic path toward Gaza’s reconstruction” and emphasized: “We make it clear that Hamas must not govern Gaza or pose a threat to Israel.” They also acknowledged the efforts of all involved parties and the important signal of unity sent by Arab states in drafting the plan.

Washington, for its part, rejected the Egyptian proposal. Nevertheless, U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff described it as a “good faith first step” by Egypt, though insufficient.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced the adoption of the proposal by the OIC, making it an Arab-Islamic plan, and highlighted its significance.

During a summit held on Tuesday in Cairo, Arab leaders also announced the creation of a fund to finance Gaza’s reconstruction and called on the international community to support it. According to Abdelatty, the next step will be to transform this plan into a global initiative, securing approval from the European Union and international partners such as Japan, Russia, and China.

The Jeddah meeting reflected the unity of the Muslim world, according to Umar Karim, a Saudi Arabia specialist at the University of Birmingham. Additionally, during the summit, the OIC officially reinstated Syria into the organization after its suspension in 2012 due to the repression of a pro-democracy uprising. The reinstatement comes after former dictator Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power on December 8, following 13 years of civil war.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry welcomed this development as “an important step toward Syria’s return to the regional and international community as a free and just state.”