Arab leaders on Tuesday endorsed a counterproposal to U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 call for the to be depopulated of Palestinians and , even as the continuation of is uncertain.
It鈥檚 hard to see how Trump鈥檚 Gaza plan would be carried out without Israel resuming the war and launching an even bloodier offensive than the last one, which left and killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.
Israel is again blocking and other desperately needed supplies from entering Gaza to try to get Hamas to accept for the ceasefire itself and the . The suspension of aid drew widespread criticism, with human rights groups saying that it violated Israel鈥檚 obligations as an occupying power under international law.
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Egypt slams Israel for 鈥榮tubborn and extremist鈥� rejection of Arabs鈥� plan for postwar Gaza
The top diplomat in Egypt has accused Israel of violating international law.
鈥淭here will be no peace, neither for Israel or for the region鈥� without establishing an independent Palestinian state in accordance with U.N. resolutions, Egypt鈥檚 Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told a news conference late Tuesday.
He said it was unacceptable for Israel to reject the internationally backed Palestinian Authority and the U.N. aid agency for Palestinian refugees, since both represent 鈥渋nternational legitimacy.鈥�
鈥淣o single state should be allowed to impose its will on the international community,鈥� he said.
Egypt's president says he wants to work with Trump on a 鈥榡ust settlement of the Palestinian Issue鈥�
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi added that he was happy Arab leaders reached a consensus at the summit Tuesday, which included regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Their support is crucial for any postwar plan.
"We welcome any proposals or ideas from the international community to ensure the success of this plan, which needs to be implemented side by side with a greater plan for peace,鈥� el-Sissi said in a post on Facebook.
Egypt鈥檚 Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the Trump administration has been briefed on the Egyptian plan.
Israel refuses to let the UN collect aid in Gaza from before the border closed
The U.N. humanitarian office says Israel has refused to let the United Nations pick up humanitarian supplies that came through the Kerem Shalom crossing before Israel halted aid deliveries. The office, known as OCHA, and a U.N. spokesperson did not provide details on how Israel was preventing the U.N. from picking up the aid.
OCHA reports that three crossing from Israel to the Gaza Strip remained closed Tuesday for a third straight day 鈥� Kerem Shalom, Zikim and Erez. The agency warns that preventing aid deliveries will have devastating consequences for Palestinians who are only beginning to recover from months of deprivation and hunger.
The agency says it鈥檚 critical for U.N. member nations and especially those with influence to 鈥渦se all available means鈥� to ensure the Israel-Hamas ceasefire holds. The first phase expired Saturday and talks haven鈥檛 started on phase two.
Trump administration welcomes Arab input on Gaza but says Hamas can鈥檛 stay in power
Trump 鈥檚 plan for the Gaza Strip has spurred regional leaders to come to the negotiating table, and he 鈥渟tands by his bold vision for a post-war Gaza,鈥� White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said.
The spokesman said Trump won鈥檛 accept Hamas governing Gaza, however the president 鈥渨elcomes input from our Arab partners in the region.鈥�
The White House comments came after Arab leaders endorsed an Egyptian plan, under which Hamas would cede power to an interim administration of political independents until a reformed Palestinian Authority can assume control. Trump wants all of Gaza鈥檚 population removed.
Israel says Egypt's plan for Gaza is out of touch with reality
In the first official Israeli reaction to Arab leaders endorsing the Egyptian plan, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said the proposal 鈥渇ails to address the realities of the situation following October 7.鈥�
The summit's statement does not mention the deadly Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza and does not condemn the Hamas militant group, Oren Marmorstein said in a post on X. He called the plan 鈥渙utdated鈥� because it 鈥渃ontinues to rely on the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA 鈥� both of which have repeatedly demonstrated corruption, support for terrorism, and failure in resolving the issue.鈥�
He reiterated Israel鈥檚 support for Trump鈥檚 plan to resettle Palestinians in other countries, describing it as 鈥渁n opportunity for the Gazans to have free choice based on their free will.鈥� Palestinians across the region have rejected the idea, saying it aims to erase them completely from their homeland.
Hamas welcomes the Arab summit鈥檚 outcome and plan for Gaza reconstruction
The Palestinian militant group praised Arab leaders' rejection of attempts to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Hamas called for 鈥減ractical and unified Arab steps鈥� to press Israel to implement the ceasefire鈥檚 terms, including its crucial second phase, and allow the entry of aid and supplies into Gaza.
The summit called for implementing the three-phase ceasefire deal. Hamas said this call would help put pressure on Israel, which seeks to change the deal through an alternative plan.
Palestinians in Gaza are skeptical that the Arab meeting will yield results
Residents in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza were closely watching the Arab summit in Cairo. But several said their expectations were low and accused the Arab world of abandoning the Palestinians during nearly a year and a half of war.
鈥淭hose summits never yield results. They meet, eat, drink and then return. We want them to stand with Gaza in complete solidarity,鈥� said Mohammad Ayesh, a Palestinian man from Nuseirat refugee camp. Wearing a small white skullcap and sweatshirt, he was among several people gathered Tuesday to receive humanitarian food aid.
Another resident of the camp, Mohammad Ayesh, criticized what he said was Arab leaders鈥� inaction. 鈥淲e do not rely on the Arab countries at all,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥淲e hope this Arab summit will be different from previous ones.鈥�
A woman from Nuseirat, Umm Mahmoud Abu Hamda, said Gaza鈥檚 plight seems invisible to the world. 鈥淲e only ask our Lord to look at us and have mercy on us,鈥� she said. 鈥淣o Arab countries, no foreigners, no one else is looking at us.鈥�
Israeli security agency releases its investigation into Oct. 7 attack
The Shin Bet internal security agency says it failed to warn of the deadly Hamas attack 鈥� but also implicitly pointed blame at Israel's political leadership. The findings were released Tuesday on the heels of a separate investigation by the military.
Whereas the army concluded it , Shin Bet said it had a 鈥渄eep understanding of the threat.鈥� In veiled criticism of the government, the agency said its attempts to thwart the Hamas threat were not implemented.
Nonetheless, it said it failed to identify Hamas鈥� plan, due, among other factors, to a mismanagement of available intelligence and 鈥渁gainst the backdrop鈥� of the government鈥檚 policy of containing Hamas and 鈥渕aintaining quiet鈥� in Gaza.
The findings of both probes increase pressure on the government to launch a widely demanded state commission of inquiry, which would also examine the role of the political leadership in the failures leading up to the attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly resisted such calls.
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar has taken responsibility for failing to prevent the attack but has not resigned. 鈥淎s the head of the organization, I will carry this heavy burden on my shoulders for the rest of my life,鈥� he said.
A summit of Arab leaders has endorsed Egypt鈥檚 plan for Gaza reconstruction
The Egyptian plan allows Gaza's 2 million Palestinians to remain in the territory and is essentially a rejection of U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 call to expel them and redevelop Gaza.
Israel鈥檚 leaders have welcomed Trump鈥檚 proposal, which Human Rights Watch and others have said would amount to 鈥渆thnic cleansing,鈥� the forcible displacement of the civilian population of a national group from a geographic area.
A 112-page draft of Egypt鈥檚 $53 billion plan obtained by The Associated Press foresees rebuilding Gaza by 2030. Hundreds of thousands of temporary housing units would be set up.
US support for Israel is a 鈥榯op priority鈥� for the Trump administration
Secretary of State Marco Rubio鈥檚 relayed that message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid uncertainty over the future of the Gaza ceasefire
The State Department said Tuesday that Rubio had spoken with Netanyahu to thank him for cooperating with Trump administration鈥檚 proposal for an extension of the ceasefire with Hamas that expired on Saturday. It also said Rubio told Netanyahu that 鈥渉e anticipates close coordination in addressing the threats posed by Iran and pursuing opportunities for a stable region.鈥�
The call came after an announcement by Rubio on Saturday that he had signed off on emergency determinations to expedite military assistance, including 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs, to Israel without congressional review. The actual approvals were done on Friday.
The European Union rejects changing Palestinian demographics or territories
Antonio Costa, president of the European Commission, told the Arab summit in Cairo that, 鈥淭he European Union firmly rejects any attempt at demographic or territorial changes, in Gaza, in other parts of the world. Anywhere.鈥�
The EU, he said, is 鈥渃ommitted to the two-state solution, where Palestine and Israel can live side-by-side in peace and security.鈥�
Costa said the EU is ready to provide 鈥渃oncrete support鈥� to Egypt鈥檚 counterproposal for Gaza. 鈥淭ogether, we should implement this plan.鈥�
Syria's new president says depopulating Gaza threatens the whole Arab world, not just Palestinians
These were the most explicit public comments interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has made linking the Palestinian cause and the situation in Syria.
Speaking at the emergency Arab League meeting, al-Sharaa urged a united position and said attempts to forcibly expel Palestinians from Gaza pose 鈥渁 threat not only to the Palestinian people, but to the entire Arab nation.鈥�
In Syria, Israel has 鈥減ersisted in its policies of aggression and has repeatedly tried to impose a new reality in the occupied territories,鈥� referring to land in the Golan Heights that Israel seized in 1967 and additional Syrian territory occupied by Israeli forces since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December.
鈥淭his aggressive expansion is not only a violation of Syrian sovereignty, but a direct threat to security and peace in the entire region,鈥� he said, calling for Arab countries to 鈥渁ssume their responsibility to support Syria and combine our efforts to combat these aggressive policies.鈥�
Palestinian president says he'll appoint a deputy and hold elections next year 鈥榠f conditions allow鈥�
The Palestinians have not held presidential elections in the 20 years since Mahmoud Abbas, an opponent of Hamas, was elected. He has repeatedly called off plans for elections, citing the divisions with Hamas and Israel鈥檚 refusal to allow the vote to take place in east Jerusalem.
Abbas also told the Arab summit in Cairo he will grant amnesty to people expelled from his Fatah movement. That鈥檚 a step that could clear the way for his rival, Mohammed Dahlan, to play a role in the party.
The Gaza-born Dahlan, who lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates, has told aides he has no interest in returning to the West Bank or Gaza. But his close ties to the UAE could make him a key player in Gaza reconstruction efforts.
Israel has rejected any future role in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority, saying it is corrupt and not committed to peace. It appears unlikely that Abbas鈥� new proposals would change that thinking.
Israel says it killed a Palestinian militant who shot at a West Bank checkpoint
The Israeli military said none of its soldiers were wounded.
The army statement did not elaborate on the shooting Tuesday near the Palestinian town of Burqa, east of Ramallah. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian health officials.
in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during the war in Gaza.
Egypt produces 112-page plan for rebuilding Gaza
Egypt has published a detailed, 112-page plan for rebuilding the Gaza Strip by 2030 without removing its population.
The ambitious, $53 billion plan is a counter to President Donald Trump鈥檚 call to remove Gaza鈥檚 around 2 million Palestinians permanently so the U.S. can develop the territory as a tourist site for others.
The first phase of the Egyptian plan, which is expected to be endorsed by Middle Eastern leaders later Tuesday, calls for starting the removal of unexploded ordnance and clearing the more than 50 million tons of rubble left by Israel鈥檚 bombardment and military offensives.
Hundreds of thousands of temporary housing units would be set up where Gaza鈥檚 population could live while reconstruction takes place. The rubble would be recycled, and some of it would be used as infill to create expanded lands on Gaza鈥檚 Mediterranean coast.
In the following years, the plan envisages completely reshaping the strip, building 鈥渟ustainable, green and walkable鈥� housing and urban areas, with renewable energy. It renovates agricultural lands and creates industrial zones and large park areas.
It also calls for opening an airport, a fishing port and a commercial port. The Oslo peace accords in the 1990s called for the opening of an airport and commercial port in Gaza, but the projects withered as the peace process collapsed.
Israeli airstrike kills a Hamas leader in West Bank
Hamas mourned the death of Aysar al-Saadi, a senior commander in its al-Qassam Brigades, who was killed Tuesday by an Israeli airstrike in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
Israel has been waging in the northern West Bank for over a month. Hamas accused Israel of resorting to aerial bombardments due to its military failures on the ground.
鈥淭his new crime will not stop the growing wave of Palestinian resistance,鈥� Hamas said in a statement.
Al-Saadi, who had survived multiple assassination attempts, was targeted amid intense armed clashes between Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces in Jenin, according to the militant group.
Israel says it killed a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon
An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed one person on Tuesday, Lebanon's state-run National 撸奶社区 Agency reported, with Israel saying the strike targeted a Hezbollah militant commander.
Israel's military said it killed Khadir Said Hashem, a commander in the group鈥檚 special forces unit, the Radwan Force. The Israeli army said in a statement that Hashem had been involved in maritime smuggling and attacks against Israel.
The Israeli military released a brief video of what it said was the strike that killed Hashem, showing a vehicle engulfed by an explosion while driving on a road.
Lebanese media had also reported the strike killed a Radwan Force member was killed.
Israel has killed several Hezbollah officials in drone strikes in different parts of Lebanon since a ceasefire in late November ended the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.
29 children evacuated from Gaza to Jordan for medical treatment
Palestinian health officials say 29 children have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Jordan for medical treatment.
Jordan鈥檚 King Abdullah II offered to take in 2,000 children for medical treatment during a White House last month.
The offer came after Trump suggested Jordan and Egypt accept large numbers of Palestinian refugees from Gaza as part of his proposal to depopulate the war-ravaged territory and redevelop it as a tourist destination. The two Arab countries, both close U.S. allies, have .
Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza said the 29 children, accompanied by 43 relatives, traveled to Israel en route to Jordan for treatment.
Jordan said the 2,000 children would be brought to the kingdom in batches, with each child accompanied by up to two family members. It said the initiative was part of its broader humanitarian efforts in Gaza, where it has established field hospitals and airdropped aid.
Arab leaders meet to approve counterproposal to Trump鈥檚 Gaza plan
Arab leaders meeting in Cairo are set to endorse a counterproposal to U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 call for the Gaza Strip to be depopulated and , even as the continuation of is uncertain.
The summit hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is expected to include the leaders of regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose support is crucial for any postwar plan.
Israel has meanwhile embraced what it says is for the ceasefire itself and the release of hostages taken in Hamas鈥� Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. It has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza to try to get Hamas to accept the new proposal and has warned of additional consequences, raising fears of a return to war.
The Associated Press
