“Former American President Donald Trump initially dismissed a plan, also rejected by Israel, suggesting instead that the Gaza Strip should be converted into a “Middle East Riviera”. The suggestion was swiftly criticized for its proposal to relocate Palestinians from the territory.

Trump’s concept could potentially render Gaza uninhabitable for a period of 10 to 15 years.

However, Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, subsequently softened Trump’s disapproval of the Arab-supported plan, expressing to journalists that the plan had many persuasive elements. He indicated that more debate was needed, but acknowledged it as a sincere initial move by the Egyptians.

In contrast, on Saturday, foreign ministers from Muslim countries rejected the U.S. proposal to displace the Palestinian population from the Gaza Strip. They supported a plan to establish a Palestinian administrative committee to oversee the territory and facilitate reconstruction.

Simultaneously, Hamas reported encouraging progress in discussions with Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries in Cairo about initiating negotiations on the postponed second phase of its truce agreement with Israel. Spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua did not provide specifics, but confirmed the group’s willingness to commence talks and its delegation’s ongoing discussions about how to proceed, according to the AP.

The foreign ministers convened in Saudi Arabia for a special session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to address the situation in Gaza.”