Britain, France, Germany, and Italy expressed support on Saturday for a proposal by Arab nations to reconstruct Gaza, describing it as a "realistic path."

The initiative, developed by the Arab League and formally adopted by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) during an emergency meeting in Saudi Arabia, serves as a countermeasure to US President Donald Trump's plan, which seeks to "take over" Gaza and forcibly displace its population.

The four European foreign ministers issued a joint statement praising the Arab plan, stating that it "promises—if implemented—swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza."

Drafted by Egypt, the proposal seeks to rebuild the Gaza Strip under the future governance of the Palestinian Authority while maintaining the territory’s 2.4 million residents, who have endured 17 months of war. Unlike Trump's approach, it does not involve displacing the population.

The OIC, representing 57 Muslim-majority countries, called on "the international community and international and regional funding institutions to swiftly provide the necessary support for the plan."

'A realistic path to reconstruction'

However, the Egyptian proposal does not include a role for Hamas. Despite this, the European foreign ministers maintained that the plan "shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza."

"We are clear that Hamas must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more," they emphasized in their statement.

Acknowledging the diplomatic efforts behind the initiative, they added, "We commend the serious efforts of all involved stakeholders and appreciate the important signal the Arab states have sent by jointly developing this recovery and reconstruction plan."

They further affirmed their commitment to cooperation, stating, "We are committed to working with the Arab initiative, the Palestinians, and Israel to address those issues together."

Read more: Palestinian officials, factions condemn Trump Gaza plot

Arab Summit adopts Egypt's reconstruction plan for Gaza 

The emergency Arab summit held in Cairo on Tuesday adopted Egypt’s plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, emphasizing the urgent need for a ceasefire and a political resolution to the ongoing crisis.

Speaking at a press conference alongside the Palestinian Prime Minister at the summit’s conclusion, Aboul Gheit stressed that the reconstruction plan aimed to ensure that both Gaza and the West Bank remained under a unified authority.

He further emphasized that the extraordinary summit reaffirmed the Arab position rejecting any attempts to displace the Palestinian people under any pretext. He added that the reconstruction plan outlines a political and security pathway for Gaza.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced the adoption of the summit’s final statement, as well as Egypt’s plan for the reconstruction and development of Gaza.

It is worth noting that the World Bank, in collaboration with the United Nations and the European Union, found that "Israel" has inflicted material damages worth $18.5 billion through its genocidal war in Gaza, the joint report indicated last year. 

Moreover, 84% of Gaza's health facilities have been completely destroyed, while water and sanitation systems were reportedly barely functioning, supplying Gaza with less than 5% of its pre-war yield.

It is worth noting that the United Nations said in Feburary that more than $53 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and end the "humanitarian catastrophe" that has gripped the war-ravaged territory, including $20 billion in the first three years alone.