The emergency Gaza-focused Arab League summit is taking place in Cairo later today, bringing together a long list of Arab leaders in an effort to unify the Arab stance against the calls for displacement of Gazans.

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IN CONTEXT- The summit is taking place as Israel blocks all humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza strip in a bid to pressure Hamas into accepting changes to the already agreed on ceasefire agreement. Arab nations have already denounced the violation of international law and the terms of the ceasefire agreement, with the Egyptian Foreign Affairs Ministry denouncing Israel for using starvation as “a weapon against the Palestinian people.”

Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan will top the agenda: In response to the Trump-proposed plan to forcibly displace 2 mn Gazans from the enclave, Egypt is set to unveil its plan to reconstruct Gaza during the summit. Once the plan is signed off, Egypt will push for international backing and donor funding, with a focus on European financial support, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said during a presser (watch, runtime: 42:05) earlier this week.

What will the plan look like? A draft proposal obtained by Reuters suggests that Hamas would be replaced by an interim Governance Assistance Mission, led by Arab, Muslim, and Western states, to oversee Gaza’s initial reconstruction and humanitarian aid for an unspecified period. Security would reportedly fall under an International Stabilisation Force, primarily composed of Arab states, which would take over from Hamas with plans to eventually establish a local police force.

Behind it all: Overseeing the process would be a steering board — including key Arab nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the US, Britain, and the EU — tasked with governance, security oversight, and coordinating donor funding for Gaza’s reconstruction.

Questions yet to be answered: The draft does not specify how Hamas would be removed from power, who exactly would lead the Governance Assistance Mission, or whether the Palestinian Authority would have a role. The proposal also lacks details on funding commitments for reconstruction, disarmament mechanisms, and the timeline for future elections. It also does not outline how Gaza would be governed beyond the interim period or who would enforce security in the long term, Reuters writes.

Notedly, Hamas isn’t giving any credibility to the draft, telling Al Arabiya that it has not received any official communication regarding Egypt’s proposal and does not engage with leaks. However, the group confirmed its approval of the formation of a community support committee in Gaza, which would not include any of its members.

While the proposal provides no timeline, Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly previously said that the reconstruction of Gaza could be completed in three years.

Who can we expect at the summit? Iraq’s President Abdul LatifRashid, Bahrain’s KingHamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Sabah are among those confirmed to attend the summit. Syria’s President Ahmed Al Sharaa is expected to join the summit and Tunisia’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti will attend on behalf of President Kais Saied.

Non-Arab leaders, including European Council President António Costa, will also be in attendance to “emphasise that the EU will be present on the ‘day after’ to work with partners on a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution,” Costa said in a statement.

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