Arab countries discuss five-year, $50 billion plan to rebuild Gaza

BarcelonaThe leaders of the 22 countries that make up the Arab League, the UN and the European Union (EU) met on Tuesday afternoon in an emergency summit to negotiate a reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip that would avoid the displacement of Palestinians and the reconversion of the enclave into a "Riviera of the Near East." The American president lit up social media last week with the publication of a video made with artificial intelligence (AI) The summit is set to agree on a plan for the next five years, which would be divided into three technical phases, former Egyptian diplomat Mohamed Hegazy told Al Jazeera. The plan includes a six-month "initial recovery" phase, which would involve clearing debris and temporarily relocating displaced people. A two-year second phase would be for rebuilding infrastructure, and a two-and-a-half-year third phase to rebuild homes and services in order to move towards "a political path to implement the two-state solution." Experts have said the difficulty with Egypt's plan lies in funding, with the UN confirming that more than $50 billion will be needed to rebuild the Gaza Strip. This point will be discussed at the summit, but experts believe that the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will have a major role in financing the reconstruction.

After all countries reach an agreement, further meetings will be held on financing and logistical issues. However, with the Gaza ceasefire up in the air, the plan for rebuilding the Strip could be put on hold as the main mediators, Egypt and Qatar, try to ensure that the war does not resume.