The Egyptian vision for Gaza, which is due to be presented at an Arab League summit on Tuesday, does not specify whether the proposal would be implemented before or after any permanent peace deal.

A plan for Gaza drawn up by Egypt as a counter to US President Donald Trump’s ambition for a Middle East Riviera would sideline Hamas and replace it with interim bodies controlled by Arab, Muslim, and Western states, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

The Egyptian vision for Gaza, which is due to be presented at an Arab League summit on Tuesday, does not specify whether the proposal would be implemented before or after any permanent peace deal to end the war triggered by the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Trump’s plan, which envisioned clearing Gaza of its Palestinian inhabitants, appeared to back away from long-standing US Middle East policy focused on a two-state solution and sparked anger among Palestinians and Arab nations.

Who will run Gaza after the conflict remains the great unanswered question in negotiations over the future of the enclave. Hamas has so far rejected the idea of any proposal being imposed on Palestinians by other states.
Cairo’s plan does not tackle critical issues such as who will foot the bill for Gaza’s reconstruction or outline any specific details around how Gaza would be governed, nor how an armed group as powerful as Hamas would be pushed aside.

Under the Egyptian plan, a Governance Assistance Mission would replace the Hamas-run government in Gaza for an unspecified interim period and would be responsible for humanitarian aid and for kick-starting reconstruction of the enclave, which has been devastated by the war.

“There will be no major international funding for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza if Hamas remains the dominant and armed political element on the ground controlling local governance,” a preamble outlining the draft Egyptian plan’s objectives said.

Details of Egypt’s proposed framework for Gaza’s future have not been previously reported.
Egypt, Jordan and Gulf Arab states have for almost a month been scrambling to formulate a diplomatic offensive to counter Trump’s plan. A number of ideas have been proposed, with Egypt’s considered the frontrunner.

Reuters was unable to determine whether Arab leaders would support the plan presented by Egypt.

The plan does not specify who would run the governance mission. It said it would, “draw on the expertise of Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere to help Gaza recover as quickly as possible.”

The plan firmly rejects the US proposal for mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, which Arab states such as Egypt and Jordan see as a security threat.

The draft proposal was shared with Reuters by an official involved in Gaza negotiations who wished to remain anonymous because the draft has not yet been made public.

Stabilization force
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the group knows of no such proposal by Egypt.
“The day after in Gaza must only be decided by the Palestinians,” he said. “Hamas rejects any attempt to impose projects or any form of non-Palestinian administration, or the presence of any foreign forces on the land of the Gaza Strip.”

The Egyptian draft does not mention future elections.

Egypt’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the office of Israel’s prime minister, whose support for any plan is seen as vital to secure a commitment that any future reconstruction will not be destroyed again.

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has ruled the coastal enclave since 2007. It launched the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and started the Gaza war.

A January 19 ceasefire brought a temporary end to the fighting but the first phase of the deal expired on Saturday with no sign of an agreement to move to the second phase.

The Egyptian draft does not tackle the issue of what actions could be taken if Hamas refuses to disarm or step aside from politics.

The proposal envisions an International Stabilisation Force drawn primarily from Arab states that would take over the role of providing security from the terrorist organization, with the eventual establishment of a new local police force.

Both security and governance bodies would be “arranged, guided and supervised” by a steering board. The draft said the board would comprise key Arab countries, members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the United States, Britain, the European Union and its member states, and others.

The plan does not detail a central governing role for the Palestinian Authority (PA), which opinion polls show has little support among Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

A Palestinian official told Reuters that, like the West Bank, Gaza falls under the PA’s jurisdiction – and it must be run by Palestinians.

“We agreed with the Egyptians on a committee made of Palestinian experts that will help the Palestinian Authority in running the Gaza Strip for six months. The committee is made of Palestinian experts and coordinates with the PA, and doesn’t answer to non-Palestinian bodies,” said the official, who asked not to be named for sensitivity.

Reconstruction bill
Since Hamas drove the Palestinian Authority out of Gaza after a brief civil war in 2007, it has crushed all opposition there. Supported by Iran, it built an extensive security apparatus and terrorist organization based around a vast network of tunnels – much of which Israel says it has now destroyed.

The plan does not say who would pay to rebuild Gaza, a bill estimated by the UN at more than $53 billion. Two sources have told Reuters that Gulf and Arab states would need to commit at least $20 billion in the initial phase of reconstruction.

Egypt’s proposal envisions that states on the steering board could establish a fund to support the interim governing body and arrange donor conferences to seek contributions for a longer-term reconstruction and development plan for Gaza.

The plan does not contain any specific financial pledges.

Oil- and gas-producing Gulf Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates could be vital sources of funding from the region.

The United Arab Emirates, for instance, sees Hamas and other terrorist groups as an existential threat and is unlikely to offer any funding until Hamas has been sidelined.

The foreign ministries in Qatar and the UAE and Saudi Arabia’s international media office did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Egypt’s plan, or to questions about their willingness to commit funds to rebuild Gaza.

The draft plan also calls on the steering board to coordinate with a Civil Society Advisory Board, consisting of academics, NGO leaders and other notable figures.

Pope Francis was placed on a breathing machine on Friday after experiencing a sudden episode of respiratory difficulty, the Vatican has confirmed in its latest medical update.

The episode was complicated by vomiting, some of which he aspirated.

Medical staff addressed the aspiration issue before placing him on mechanical ventilation. Despite this, the Vatican stated that the pontiff “remained alert and oriented at all times.”

A spokesperson later clarified that he is not yet considered out of danger.

Francis was first admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital two weeks ago following persistent lung-related issues, including bronchitis and pneumonia. This marks his fourth and longest hospitalization since becoming pope in 2013.
The pontiff has faced lung-related health struggles for much of his life. As a young man, he had severe pneumonia, leading to the removal of part of one lung.

The Vatican has since been providing twice-daily updates on his condition. On Thursday, it reported that Francis’ health was “improving” but that his prognosis remained uncertain.

Due to his intensive medical treatment, his schedule has been cleared. Earlier on Friday, the Vatican announced that he would not lead next week’s Ash Wednesday service, marking the beginning of Lent. This will be only the second time in his 12-year papacy that he has missed the service, with a cardinal expected to lead in his place.

Lebanese Army continues deployment in southern Lebanon.

A man allegedly carrying $2.5 million in cash destined for the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah reportedly was detained Friday at Beirut’s airport in a bust that an expert told Fox News Digital is “unprecedented.” 

“The detainee and the seized funds will be handed over to the investigation division at the General Directorate of General Security,” Lebanon’s finance ministry said in a statement obtained by Reuters, which cited sources saying that the man had been traveling from Turkey.  

“We are seeing indications that the terrorist Hezbollah group funded by the Islamic Republic is still committed to rearming and rebuilding its decimated infrastructure,” Israeli ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon told Fox News Digital. “This is yet another attempt of Tehran to destabilize the Middle East. Israel will not hesitate to defend itself from any threat it perceives from the north.”

“The $2.5 million dollar seizure is unprecedented,” added David Daoud, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

“We haven’t seen anything like this. Now, this does track though the fact this money is coming in from Turkey, this does track with Israeli claims that Turkey is being used as a conduit by the Iranians to get more funds to Hezbollah,” Daoud told Fox News Digital.

“Plausibly, this is one thing that got caught – how many cash transfers are getting through the dragnet?” he also said.  

The money the individual was carrying was bound for Hezbollah, which has been weakened recently by Israel’s military, sources told Reuters. 

A Middle East Airlines plane takes off from Beirut’s international airport as people inspect damage from an area on the southern outskirts of Beirut that was targeted by Israeli airstrikes on Nov. 7, 2024. Sources told the Times of Israel on Friday that the man carrying the cash for Hezbollah was stopped at the airport. (AFP via Getty Images)

There was no immediate reaction from Hezbollah on Friday. 

Since the onset of Israel’s war against Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces engaged in cross-border skirmishes with Hezbollah – including ground operations on Lebanese soil – until a ceasefire deal was struck late last year. 

Mourners attend the funeral of slain Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium on the outskirts of Beirut on Feb. 23, 2025.  (Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in Lebanon by an Israeli airstrike in September.