Arab nations' plan for Gaza gaining ground

Signs of US rethink on reconstruction reignite hopes for Egypt-led proposal

Arab nations presented Cairo's Arab League-endorsed Gaza reconstruction plan to the United States' Middle East special envoy, spurring hopes that Washington may now treat it as the basis for rebuilding the Palestinian enclave, against an earlier widely opposed proposal from the White House.

Speculation that the Egyptian-led plan could gain ground is also being fanned by reports suggesting that US President Donald Trump may be backpedaling on his controversial proposal to depopulate Gaza and then rebuild through US auspices.

On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestine Liberation Organization met with visiting US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff in Doha, Qatar's capital.