Arab national leaders gathered in Saudi Arabia on Friday, February 21, to hammer out a recovery plan for Gaza aimed at countering President Donald Trump's proposal for US control of the territory and the expulsion of its people.

Trump triggered global outrage when he proposed the United States "take over the Gaza Strip" and displace its more than two million residents to Egypt and Jordan. Trump's plan has united Arab states in opposition to it, but disagreements remain over who should govern the war-ravaged Palestinian territory and how to fund its reconstruction.

Rebuilding Gaza will be a key issue after Trump pointed to the need for reconstruction as a justification for relocating its population. The Gaza Strip is largely in ruins after more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas, with the United Nations recently estimating that rebuilding would cost more than $53 billion.

During a meeting with Trump in Washington on February 11, Jordan's King Abdullah II said Egypt would present a plan for a way forward.

A three-phase plan

The official Saudi Press Agency, citing an official, confirmed on Thursday that Egypt and Jordan were participating in the Riyadh summit along with the six country members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It also said decisions issued by the "unofficial fraternal meeting" would appear on the agenda of an emergency Arab League summit, to be held in Egypt on March 4. The Qatari emir's office also confirmed the country's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, would attend the Friday talks.

Cairo has yet to announce its initiative, but former Egyptian diplomat Mohamed Hegazy outlined a plan "in three technical phases over a period of three to five years." The first phase, lasting six months, would focus on "early recovery" and the removal of debris, he said. The second would require an international conference to provide details of reconstruction and focus on rebuilding utility infrastructure. And the final phase, Hegazy said, would entail urban planning, the reconstruction of housing, providing services and the establishment of a "political track to implement the two-state solution."