From: The Guardian February 12, 2025
The group now appears to have three courses of action.

It can cut its losses and carry out its threat to delay Saturday’s planned hostage release, which will mean a return to fighting.

While resuming hostilities is likely to trigger another mass exodus of Palestinian civilians to southern Gaza and dramatically worsen the strip’s humanitarian crisis, this is a way for Hamas to save face without giving up any more hostages, which remain its main leverage over Israel.

It could also call Trump and Israel’s bluff by releasing more than three hostages.

While it is logistically unlikely that the group could deliver all 76 – at least 30 of whom are dead – in one go, it could feasibly release the eight living captives due to come home in the first stage of the deal, in effect forcing talks to begin on implementing the second and third phases of the ceasefire ahead of schedule.

Hamas also knows that if it does deliver the three hostages scheduled for release on Saturday, as planned, Israel is unlikely to withdraw from the agreement.

This route would keep the truce alive, and to some extent defang Trump’s threats, although the president is unlikely to suffer such humiliation lightly.

Which path the group will take will become clear on Friday night, when Hamas is supposed to deliver the names of the three hostages before their release.

If they do not materialise, Israel will have ample justification to resume the war, with Trump’s blessing – an outcome that will let Netanyahu, the ultimate political Houdini, keep his rightwing coalition government intact.

The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is hanging by a thread after just three weeks, which does not bode well for its future.

More than 2 million people in Gaza, and hundreds of Israelis still desperate for captive loved ones to return, have no choice but to hold their breath.

The Jerusalem Post February 12, 2025
Israel Katz warns Hamas: If we restart Gaza war, it will be different 16 months too late

If Hamas does not release the Israeli hostages by Saturday, all hell will break loose, exactly as US President Donald Trump promised, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday.

Katz also threatened Hamas terrorists, stating that "if they stop releasing the hostages, then there is no agreement, and there is war."

Katz reiterates US President Donald Trump's statements, adding,
1. the new phase of the Gaza war would be different in intensity from the one before the ceasefire –
2. and it will not end without defeating Hamas and freeing all hostages

"Every ceasefire agreement with Hamas terrorists was meant to secure the swift release of the Israeli hostages, who are being held under the harshest conditions in Gaza," Katz stated.

He added, Israel "agreed to pay a heavy price in return,"

President Trump's plans for Gaza

Katz also referenced President Trump's plans for the Gaza Strip, including mass relocation of Palestinians and developing the territory into a riviera, stating that the resumption of war between Israel and Hamas terrorists would "enable the realization of Trump's vision for Gaza."

Katz had just held a meeting in the IDF Operations Directorate command bunker, accompanied by IDF Operations Directorate Chief Major General Oded Basiuk, and Head of the Operations Division Brigadier General Israel Shomer.

Katz clarified he came to the command bunker to meet the senior IDF figures in order to
"ensure that the IDF is properly prepared for the resumption of the war in Gaza." 16 months of preparation

The Jerusalem Post February 13, 2025
Hamas will not release all Gaza hostages on Saturday, spokesman says

Hamas is 'committed' to implementing the previously agreed schedule of the hostage deal, senior spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri said.

Senior Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri spoke to Al Jazeera on Wednesday evening and stated that Hamas is "committed" to implementing the previously agreed schedule of the hostage deal and that they will not release "all" Israeli hostages on Saturday.

Abu Zuhri's comments likely came as part of a larger statement to Al Jazeera regarding Hamas's views towards the potential breakdown of the ceasefire agreement.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that if Hamas does not release the Israeli hostages by Saturday, all hell will break loose.

This referenced US President Donald Trump when he said, on Tuesday
1. "If all the Gaza hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire.
2. Let all hell break loose;
3. Israel can override it,"

Trump added "But as far as I'm concerned... I would say cancel it, and all bets are off,"
"All of them, not in drips and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two," Why agree to it, in the first place
The original hostage release schedule
According to the original terms of Phase I of the hostage release and ceasefire agreement, three hostages were scheduled to be released this coming Saturday.

Given Abu Zuhri's statement that Hamas remains "committed" to the original hostage release schedule, it is likely that they intend to follow through with releasing three Israeli hostages.

Itamar Ben-Gvir reacted to the statement

Itamar Ben-Gvir, former national security minister, stated on his X that
"the Israeli government is on its way to another historic missed opportunity."

"After receiving backing from President Trump to bring hell upon Gaza if Hamas does not release all the hostages, the government intends to settle for the release of only three hostages under a reckless deal that includes the release of hundreds of terrorist murderers from prison while continuing to supply fuel and aid to the Strip." Ben-Gvir continued.

Ben-Gvir's response concluded "A reckless deal; a frightened government,"

The Jerusalem Post February 13, 2025

Hamas must decide to continue the deal or let 'all hell break loose' - editorial

Hamas’s latest step back from the hostage deal will come at a heavy price.
Israel, backed by strong US support, will not hesitate to respond with overwhelming force Hamas Full defeat. October 7 never again

The events of this past week have definitively proven that the hostage-ceasefire deal not only hangs on by a thread;
that thread is vital to the fabric of the Middle East as we know it today.

In other words, Saturday at noon is make-or-break time.

Hamas announced on Monday that it would be canceling the release of hostages scheduled for this Saturday, February 15 until further notice, citing Israeli “violations” of the agreement. Never mind the “violations” by terrorists Hamas

According to the terrorist organization, Israel delayed the return of displaced Gazans to northern Gaza, as well as blocked supplies from entering the coastal enclave.

As a result, the IDF increased its alertness level and postponed leave for combat soldiers and operational units to prepare for potential returned operations in the Gaza Strip. The area has also been significantly reinforced with additional units for defensive purposes.

Hamas had seemingly reacted to US President Donald Trump’s comments on Sunday on his way to the Super Bowl, during which he said leaders involved may “lose [their] patience” should hostages continue to return looking “like Holocaust survivors.”

Trump says 'cancel the ceasefire'

After Hamas’s announcement, on Tuesday, the US president – who was central in securing the deal – said,
1. “If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire.
2. Let all hell break loose;
3. Israel can override it.”

In the meantime, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assembled the security cabinet for an urgent meeting on Tuesday to discuss potential next steps.

1. “If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end,
2. and the IDF will resume intense fighting until Hamas is decisively defeated,” 16 months intense fighting

Shortly after Netanyahu’s remarks, the military said additional troops, including reservists, were being deployed to the Southern Command.

Both Netanyahu and Trump were seemingly ambiguous regarding the number of hostages that would be returned.

Then, on Wednesday, Trump told King Abdullah of Jordan at the White House that
1. Hamas must release all hostages, including all Americans, by Saturday
2. and asked for the king’s assistance in ensuring that Hamas and leaders of the region understand the severity of the situation

Trump reiterated during that same discussion that the US intends to “take Gaza.” adding that the US wasn’t going to buy Gaza but rather “run it very properly.”

He said, “Palestinians will live safely in another location that is not Gaza,”
Member of Knesset Yuli Edelstein: "Immigration from Gaza should be directed to more distant countries." South Africa, Russia, Ireland...

Alongside his comments, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said,
1. Hamas, as a terrorist organization, should not be allowed to be part of the government in any part of Gaza correct.
2. “Donald Trump said everything we need to know; Saturday, 12:00,”

That deadline is looming over not only Israel but the entire Middle East as we know it today, and what happens then could determine the fate of the region.

Until now, the ceasefire has continued inching forward, unstable but nevertheless steady.
Hamas threatening to destabilize that work structure would mean the effective death of the rest of the hostages however many were still alive.

The hostages are Hamas’s strongest bargaining chip: a microcosm of the inhumanity of the organization. terror acts of evil barbarism and brutality

That bargaining chip becomes effectively null and void should Israel and Hamas ditch the deal and descend into dispute once more, and the intense and harsh fighting would return to the Gaza Strip.

1. Hamas’s latest step back from the hostage deal will come at a heavy price.
2. Gaza will face the full consequences of its leadership’s actions.
3. Israel, backed by strong US support, will not hesitate to respond with overwhelming force.

The days of restraint are over – our enemies will feel the consequences of their terror.
With the US standing firmly behind us, “all hell will break loose,” for those who threaten our security.

The pendulum is on Hamas’s side now.
Whether it swings towards returning the hostages or snaps loose from the thread that has given the region a moment to breathe of late is up to terrorists who hold human lives in their hands.

Your move, Hamas

The Jerusalem Post February 13, 2025
A shame for Italy': UN's Albanese slams Italian official for meeting Netanyahu

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese called the Italian Deputy PM's photo with Netanyahu "an affront to the Italian Constitution."

United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said that Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini's meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a “shame for Italy and its people” in a post on X on Tuesday.

Albanese, who is Italian herself, added that the Salvini smiling in a photo with Netanyahu was “an affront to the Italian Constitution.”

In her post, she referred to Netanyahu as “one of the architects of the destruction of Gaza, who should be arrested for war crimes and crimes against humanity.” Never mind the terror crimes and crimes against humanity.” by terrorists Hamas

Salvini posted a photo of the two smiling on X saying that
1. their meeting was an opportunity to “reaffirm the friendship between Italy and Israel,”
2. as well as calling into question the role of the International Criminal Court

Salvini stated that he intends for Italy to “increasingly play a leading role on the international scene.”

Salvini also met with Sa’ar, Chickli, and more Israeli officials
Salvini began his visit to Israel by meeting with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar to reaffirm the “solid relationship” between Italy and Israel, Salvini wrote on X

He also met with Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli to discuss the rise of antisemitism in Italy.

Salvini stated that he invited Chikli to Rome to work with the Italian Education Ministry to promote initiatives to combat antisemitism from a young age

Haaretz February 13, 2025

Egyptian report: Hamas committed to releasing Israeli hostages on Saturday
Palestinian Sources: Release of Three Israeli Hostages to Go Ahead as Planned on Saturday

Palestinian sources: Next weekly phase of deal will go ahead on Saturday, with three hostages to be released

According to Palestinian sources who spoke with Haaretz, Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement over the next phase of the deal to take place this Saturday, in which three hostages will be released, in accordance with the deal.

Israel will increase the entry of aid into the Strip, mainly consisting of tents, gas, and medical equipment.
According to the sources, the entry of caravans into Gaza depends on their production process in Egypt.

Terrorists still calling the shots

Al Jazeera February 13, 2025
Israel issues more war threats, Hamas ‘eager’ to save Gaza deal

Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou says,
1. the group is “eager” to prevent the collapse of the ceasefire deal, in the Gaza Strip
2. and to “oblige” Israel to respect and fully implement it.

Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou says the group wants to prevent the Gaza ceasefire agreement from falling through.

He said,
1. “We are not concerned with the collapse of the ceasefire agreement, in the Gaza Strip,
2. and we are eager to implement it and oblige the occupation to fully implement it,”
3. mediators are exerting pressure to complete the full implementation of the agreement,
4. oblige Israel to abide by the humanitarian protocol,
5. and resume the exchange process on Saturday.

Al-Qanou stressed that the language of threats and intimidation used by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu does not serve the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

From: Al Jazeera February 13, 2025

Yemen’s Houthis emerge from Gaza war, emboldened, and with more enemies
Once a largely local threat, Houthis now challenge Israeli and Western interests, leading to increased focus.

The Houthis have gone through something of a transformation in their reputation since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023

A rebel group from Yemen’s far north, the Houthis had fought the Yemeni government and a Saudi-led coalition for almost a decade, proving a degree of military prowess, but had little ability to project power regionally, even as they occasionally fired missiles and drones towards Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

And domestically, among many Yemenis, they were unpopular, regarded by their enemies as a theocratic and repressive group that wanted to end Yemen’s republic – even as the Iranian ally defended their takeover of much of Yemen as a popular revolution.

A lot has changed in the past 16 months as the Houthis demonstrated their capabilities – firing projectiles deep into Israel and causing damage – as well as their willingness to challenge the West and attack shipping in the seas around Yemen, all ostensibly in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.

For those actions, among many in the region and beyond, the Houthis have become a symbol of resistance against Israel and the West and the true representative of the Yemeni state.

And domestically, it has proven difficult for the group’s enemies to criticise their actions in support of the Palestinians, a popular position in a country as staunchly pro-Palestinian as Yemen.

Houthis have no fear:

From: Al Jazeera February 13, 2025

Abdullah Yahia, a high school graduate from Sanaa, said: This is why I have changed my view on the Houthis.”
1. “The Houthi leadership has not feared the United States or any other Western force,”
2. “Offering support to Gaza is the real gauge of courage and humanity.

Adel Dashela, a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia Global Centers – Amman, told Al Jazeera:
1. “They have succeeded in increasing their popularity considerably,”
2. “Countless people worldwide feel Gaza has been wronged, and that any action to support its population is praiseworthy.”

On the military front, Dashela believes that the true impact of the Houthis’ actions has been on the global shipping industry, rather than in its attacks on Israel – which have only caused limited damage.

Many shipping companies now avoid the Red Sea – a vital international shipping route – because of Houthi attacks that US-led reprisals were unable to stop.

The attacks on shipping – which, according to a tally by the nonprofit Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), have numbered more than 200 since the start of the war – have increased shipping costs and led to cargo traffic through Egypt’s Suez Canal plummeting.

All in all, the Houthis have grown in strength and are emboldened, at a time when Iran and pro-Iranian groups across the wider region – such as the Palestinian group Hamas and the Lebanese group Hezbollah – appear weaker.

“No longer content to focus their sights just on Yemen, [the Houthis’] growing ambitions to fill the void left by Iran’s crumbling axis cannot be ignored,” wrote Beth Sanner, a former US deputy director of national intelligence, and Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, in an article for Foreign Policy last month.

More enemies:
On January 16 after the Gaza ceasefire was agreed, the group’s leader, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, warned that attacks on Israel would resume if the truce was breached, a threat that has been repeated.

And on January 20 a day after the ceasefire began, senior Houthi official Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said:
1. the group had possession of missiles “with 100 percent accuracy”
2. “Whoever thinks that we exaggerate should review our attacks on ships linked to [Israel],”

The Houthis have gone from a localised threat to one that now poses a direct challenge to Israeli and Western interests, who are now more focused,
1. on finding a way to defeat, the Houthis
2. or at least seriously weaken them

The US and the United Kingdom began bombing Houthi targets in Yemen in January 2024 and Israel has also conducted its own attacks.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that his country would “hunt down” Houthi leaders.

All to no avail

Houthis “foreign terrorist organisation”
The US has now redesignated the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organisation” – one of the first moves by President Donald Trump in his new term in office.

A White House statement explained that US policy was to now cooperate with regional partners, to:
1. eliminate the Houthis’ capabilities and operations
2. and deprive them of resources.

Abdusalam Mohammed, head of Yemen’s Abaad Studies and Research Center, told Al Jazeera:
“The US redesignation of the Houthi group as a foreign terrorist organisation is part of the West’s broader campaign against Iran’s proxies in the region,”

The redesignation of the Houthis, is a prologue to,
1. a [wider] Western military operation to weaken or
2. dismember the Houthi group.

The resolution has enraged the Houthis, who say that the US intends to worsen the suffering of the Yemeni people due to their support for Palestinians.

The Houthi Political Office in Sanaa called on “free nations” to denounce the US decision, stating:
“Our armed forces will remain on alert and ready for any military escalation in Yemen.”

“With their designation as a terrorist group, the Houthis have lost the opportunity to resolve the conflict in Yemen through peace talks.
The West now appears more inclined to eliminate the group rather than include it in a comprehensive diplomatic process,” said Mohammed.

The Houthis will not be allowed to “act unchecked”, said Khalfan al-Touqi, an Omani political and economic analyst.

“Following the weakening of other Iranian proxies in the region, the West – particularly the US and the UK – sees this as a golden opportunity to diminish the Houthi group’s power as much as possible,”

Al-Touqi argues that the US, Europe, Israel and Middle Eastern governments will prioritise weakening the Houthi group in the coming months.

“We have clear evidence of what happened to Iran’s allies in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.

Now, only one Iran-backed group remains significantly influential: the Houthis.
However, this group cannot sustain its strength indefinitely,” al-Touqi stated.

As a result, he is likely to mobilise forces to target and weaken the Houthis.

While they may not be entirely eliminated, their capabilities will undoubtedly be diminished.”

Houthis: Tough to defeat

However, the Houthis have found themselves underestimated before – if anything, it is their ability to survive in the face of seemingly much stronger enemies that has contributed to their belief in a divine ability to overcome opponents.

But the group would also likely welcome regional de-escalation, and an opportunity to declare victory over Israel.

Ayed al-Manna, a Kuwaiti academic and political researcher, said:
1. “The cessation of the Gaza war would be a lifeline for the Houthis,”
2. “The group would de-escalate its operations, as it would have no justification for continuing such attacks on shipping lanes.”

If the Gaza conflict intensifies again, and the Houthis resume attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea, then the Yemeni group may find themselves under heavier attack than before.

Some have suggested that this could lead to the Houthis,
1. facing a similar fate to another Iranian ally, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown in December,
2. or that the Yemeni group’s leadership could be assassinated, as much of the leadership of the Lebanese group Hezbollah has been.

Houthis invulnerable!

From: Al Jazeera February 13, 2025

But while the Houthis are in the same pro-Iranian camp, there are clear differences – including that Israel and the West appear to not have the same intelligence on the Houthis as they have had on Hezbollah and Hamas, and that the Houthis have already withstood years of Saudi-led coalition bombing and survived.

Mohammed al-Samaei, a Taiz-based political researcher and journalist, said: The Houthi group still holds significant strengths –
1. it possesses vast arsenals,
2. thousands of fighters,
3. firm control over its territories,
4. and, most crucially, the weakness of its Yemeni opponents

These factors, al-Samaei noted, allow the group to endure confrontations with both local and foreign forces.

“Even if the Yemeni government, backed by Western powers, launches a new offensive against the Houthis, their rapid collapse – similar to what happened with Assad’s regime in Syria – is not guaranteed.”

From: Haaretz February 13, 2025
Yemen's Houthis said they will immediately take military action if the U.S. and Israel attack Gaza

From: The Times of Israel February 13, 2025
Rubio indicates that an IDF return to fighting wouldn’t solve problem of Hamas

After appearing earlier this week to back an Israeli return to fighting in Gaza, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicates that this might not solve the threat posed by Hamas.

Rubio discusses Trump’s proposal for the US to take over Gaza and relocate the Strip’s entire population during an interview on the radio show of conservative hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.

He reiterates that the US is willing to consider alternative plans from its Arab allies, but
“any plan that leaves Hamas there is going to be a problem because Israel is not going to tolerate it.”

“We’re going to give [Arab allies] a chance to come up with a plan… and not just to pay for it because… someone’s going to have to go on the ground.

Hamas has weapons,” Rubio continues, “Someone has to confront those guys. Who’s that going to be?

It’s not going to be American soldiers

the secretary of state says: If the countries in the region can’t figure that piece out,
1. then Israel is going to have to do it 16 months of intense fighting -- couldn't do it...
2. and then we’re back to where we’ve been,”
3. “So that doesn’t solve the problem.”

This is the first time a Trump official has made such an acknowledgment, though it’s unclear whether it is a policy stance, if Rubio was speaking off the cuff, or if he was speaking on behalf of US President Donald Trump, who appeared to give Israel a green light to return to fighting when he warned earlier this week of hell breaking loose if the hostages aren’t all released by Saturday at noon.

“They don’t like it, but the only plan right now is the Trump plan.

If they’ve got a better plan, now’s the time to present it. So we’re looking forward to that,” Rubio adds.

From: Haaretz February 13, 2025

U.S. hostage envoy says, there will 'be a real, real problem' if Hamas isn't 'constructive'

Appearing on Fox News, U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler was asked whether President Donald Trump's Saturday deadline for Hamas endangers the hostages.

He said: "It's Hamas putting those hostages in danger,"

"Hamas is in a position as a terror organization where they're deciding,
1. what happens not only to hostages
2. but to the entire group of people living in Gaza and the West Bank...

This is Hamas' decision as a terror organization. We're just following through on what we said."

1. We need to expunge this threat
2. and they need to come forward and be constructive,
3. or it's going to be a real, real problem.

From: The Jerusalem Post February 13, 2025

Rubio: Mideast states say they care about Palestinian, but none want to take them in
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio: Arab countries unwilling to accept Palestinian refugees

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on the "Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show" on Thursday night:
1. None of the countries who say they "care about the Palestinians" want to take any refugees,
2. "None of them want to take any Palestinians,
3. none of them have a history of doing anything for Gaza in that matter,"


And so the President says, all right, then this is what we’re going to do.
We’ll take it on. We’ll have to move people around. It’s the only plan out there right now."

Rubio added that the administration was open to other plans, but that "any plan that leaves Hamas there is going to be a problem."

Rubio added that, according to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza Strip, is "the only plan," adding that if Arab states have "got a better plan, now's the time to present it."

Some two-thirds of the Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives urged President Donald Trump to retract his plan for the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, calling it "illegal and immoral."

Day 498

From: The Times of Israel February 14, 2025
Senior UAE official calls for Hamas to step down, as Arab pressure against terror group intensifies

The diplomatic adviser to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed calls on Hamas to step down from power in Gaza, as the Arab push against the terror group begins to intensify.

Earlier this week, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Hamas “should relinquish power if serving Palestinian interests demands it.”

But senior UAE official Anwar Gargash appears to go further in his statement posted on X

He says Aboul Gheit’s “rational call” is “appropriate, as the interests of the Palestinian people must come before the interests of the [Hamas] movement:
1. “Especially in light of the calls to displace the Palestinians from Gaza,
2. and the war that resulted from its decisions that destroyed the Gaza Strip
3. and tore its human and social fabric,”

While Washington’s Arab allies have long opposed Hamas, many of them were growing increasingly resigned to the notion that Hamas would remain in Gaza in some form after the war due to Israel’s refusal to advance a viable alternative to the terror group.

However, the rhetoric against Hamas has intensified in recent weeks following US President Donald Trump’s calls:
1. to permanently relocate all of Gaza’s population outside of the Strip
2. and for Washington to take over the enclave.

Trump’s plan has been widely rejected by the Arab world, but the administration is pushing those allies to advance an alternative vision rather than just rejecting the one proposed by the president.

From: Reuters February 14, 2025
Arab countries scramble to offer Trump an alternate proposal for post-war Gaza

Egyptian plan would see terror group Hamas sidelined in governance of coastal enclave; issue to be discussed at end of month in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia is spearheading urgent Arab efforts to develop a plan for Gaza’s future as a counter to US President Donald Trump’s ambition for a Middle East riviera, cleared of its Palestinian inhabitants 10 sources told Reuters.

Draft ideas will be discussed at a meeting in Riyadh this month of countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
Proposals may involve a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and a deal to sideline Hamas, five of the people said.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies were aghast at Trump’s plan to “clean out” Palestinians from Gaza and resettle most of them in Jordan and Egypt, an idea immediately rejected by Cairo and Amman and seen in most of the region as deeply destabilizing.

The dismay in Saudi Arabia was aggravated, sources said, because the plan would nix the kingdom’s demand for a clear path to Palestinian statehood as a condition to normalize ties with Israel — something that would also pave the way for an ambitious military pact between Riyadh and Washington, shoring up the kingdom’s defenses against Iran.

Reuters spoke to 15 sources in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and elsewhere to build a picture of the hurried efforts by Arab states to pull together existing proposals into a new plan they can sell to the US president — even potentially calling it a “Trump plan” to win his approval.

All the sources declined to be identified because the issue involves international or domestic sensitivities and they were not authorized to speak in public.

One Arab government source said at least four proposals had already been drafted for Gaza’s future, with an Egyptian proposal emerging as central to the Arab push for an alternative to Trump’s idea.

The Egyptian Proposal:

Three Egyptian security sources said, the latest Egyptian proposal involves:
1. forming a national Palestinian committee to govern Gaza without Hamas involvement,
2. international participation in reconstruction without displacing Palestinians abroad,
3. and movement toward a two-state solution

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Palestinian representatives will review and discuss the plan in Riyadh before it is presented at a scheduled Arab summit on February 27 the Arab government source said.

The role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, is shaping up to be key.

a Jordanian official said:
1. “We are telling the Americans we have a plan that works.
2. Our meeting with MBS is going to be critical.
3. He is taking the lead,”

The crown prince had a warm relationship with the first Trump administration and is increasingly central to Arab ties with the U.S. during the new Trump era.

Long a major regional partner of the United States, the crown prince is expanding Saudi Arabia’s relationship through business and global power politics.
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is holding a conference in Miami this month, which Reuters revealed Trump is expected to attend

The White House did not respond to several requests for comment on this story.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking on Thursday, referred to the coming Arab meeting, saying:
1. “Right now the only plan — they don’t like it — but the only plan is the Trump plan.
2. So if they’ve got a better plan, now’s the time to present it.”

Spokespeople for Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE and Israel did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Buffer Zone:

Clear plans for Gaza’s post-war future have already proven hard to develop, as they require positions on contentious debates regarding the territory’s:
1. internal governance,
2. security management,
3. funding and reconstruction.

Israel has already rejected any role for Hamas or the Palestinian Authority in governing Gaza or ensuring security there.
Arab countries and the United States have said they do not want to put troops on the ground to do that.

Gulf states, which have historically paid for reconstruction in Gaza, have said they do not want to do so this time without guarantees that Israel will not again destroy what they build. Israel is unlikely to make guarantees that prevent it from acting against threats from the territory, if they should arise.

Jordan’s King Abdullah emphasized to Trump on Monday at their meeting in the White House that he was working with Saudi Arabia and Egypt on a Gaza plan that would work, a Jordanian official said.

In televised comments after the meeting, Abdullah said the countries would review an Egyptian plan and
“we will be in Saudi Arabia to discuss how we can work with the president and the United States.”

Reuters could not immediately reach Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi for comment.

After Abdullah’s meeting with Trump, Safadi said: “We are now working on crystallizing the Arab plan.”

Initial proposals: shared by the three Egyptian security sources relating to reconstruction and financing appear to be in advanced stages.

A buffer zone and physical barrier would be erected to prevent tunnels from being built across Gaza’s border with Egypt.

As soon as the rubble is removed 20 areas will be established as temporary living zones.
Around 50 Egyptian and other foreign companies would be brought in to carry out the work.

Financing would involve international and Gulf money, a regional source with knowledge of the matter said.
A potential fund could be named the Trump Fund for Reconstruction, an Arab government official said.

However, the most difficult issues regarding Gaza’s governance and internal security remain to be decided, the official said.

Forcing Hamas out of any role in Gaza would be critical, said the Arab official and the three Egyptian sources.

Hamas has previously said:
1. it is willing to cede government in Gaza to a national committee,
2. but it would want a role in choosing its members
3. and would not accept the deployment of any ground forces without its consent.

Israel will be loath to agree to such terms.

The three Egyptian sources said that while nothing in the plan was very new, they believed it was good enough to:
1. change Trump’s mind
2. and that it could be imposed on Hamas
3. and the Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas.

'Not pleased’: Saudi annoyance over Gaza had already been building before Trump’s announcement.

The kingdom had repeatedly said normalization with Israel was conditional on a path to creating a Palestinian state in the,
1. West Bank,
2. Gaza Strip
3. and East Jerusalem.

That stance hardened as Saudi public anger grew at the destruction and death in Gaza in the war brought on by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel.

In November, the crown prince, during an Islamic summit:
1. publicly accused Israel of genocide
2. and doubled down on the need for a two-state solution.

Washington appeared ready to ignore Riyadh’s demand for two states.

The day before his Gaza announcement, Trump was asked whether a normalization deal could proceed without a two-state solution.
He said: “Saudi Arabia is going to be very helpful.”

Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, had held meetings in Riyadh in late January.
Two senior diplomats said Witkoff laid out a three-month timeline for the normalization process.

But Saudi frustration quickly turned into surprise and then anger when Trump announced his Gaza idea.
“He is not pleased,” a source close to the Saudi royal court said of Prince Mohammed’s reaction.

The level of anger was quickly evident in state media broadcasts — which analysts say are often a measure of official Saudi viewpoints — with television news reports personally excoriating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi analyst familiar with official thinking, describing the mood among senior Saudi officials.
1. “They are outraged,”
2. This is outrageous.
3. More than frustration, this is on another level.”

Many experts say Trump may be using an old bargaining ploy from his diplomatic playbook, setting out an extreme position as an opening gambit for negotiations. During his first term, he often issued what were widely seen as over-the-top foreign policy pronouncements, many of which never came to fruition.

Still, it has complicated the normalization talks.
Frustration was running high in the kingdom over the ongoing war, two regional intelligence sources said.

Former Saudi intelligence head Prince Turki al-Faisal, who holds no current role in the government, said in a CNN interview last week that if Trump visited Riyadh, “I’m sure he will get an earful from the leadership here.”

Asked if he could see any prospect of normalization talks advancing with Israel, he said: “Not at all.”