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Arab leaders approve $53bn alternative to Trump’s Gaza plan

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The UN says more than 90% of homes in Gaza are destroyed or damaged [BBC]

A $53bn (£41.4 billion) reconstruction plan to rival President Donald Trump’s idea for the US to “take over Gaza” and move out more than two million Palestinians has been approved by Arab leaders at an emergency summit in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

“The Egypt plan is now an Arab plan,” announced the secretary general of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the end of this hours-long gathering.

Without referring specifically to President Trump’s ideas, he underlined that “the Arab stance is to reject any displacement, whether it is voluntary or forced”.

Egypt had produced a detailed blueprint, with a 91-page glossy document including images of leafy neighbourhoods and grand public buildings, to counter a US scheme labelled as a “Middle East Riviera” which shocked the Arab world and beyond.

What sets this new plan apart is it is not just about property development; its banners are politics and the rights of Palestinians.

In his opening remarks, Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi also called for a parallel plan alongside the physical reconstruction to move towards what is known as the two state solution – a Palestinian state alongside Israel. This is widely seen by Arab states, and many others, as the only lasting solution to this perpetual conflict, but it is firmly ruled out by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies.

This new plan proposes that Gaza would be run, temporarily, by a “Gaza management committee under the umbrella of the Palestinian government” comprised of qualified technocrats.

It glosses over the issue of what role, if any, Hamas, will play. There is a vague reference to the “obstacle” of militant groups and said this issue would be resolved if the causes of the conflict with Israel were removed.

Some Arab states are known to be calling for the complete dismantling of Hamas; others believe those decisions should be left up to the Palestinians. Hamas is said to have accepted it will not play a role in running Gaza but has made it clear that disarming is a red line.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described President Trump’s plan as “visionary”, has repeatedly ruled out any future role for Hamas, but also for the Palestinian Authority.

A screenshot of Egypt's 91-page brochure for its Gaza reconstruction plan, featuring proposals for what it calls the "Urban identity of government buildings" (L) and "Urban identity of public buildings" (R)
Egypt’s plan for Gaza’s reconstruction is presented in a 91-page brochure [BBC]

The other sensitive issue of security was dealt with by calling on the UN Security Council to deploy international peacekeepers.

And a major international conference will be held next month to raise the huge sums of money necessary for this rebuilding project.

Wealthy Gulf states appear willing to foot some of the colossal bill. But no one is ready to invest unless they are absolutely convinced buildings won’t come crashing down in another war.

A fragile ceasefire which now seems to be on the brink of collapse will only amplify that hesitation.

This new Arab plan to rebuild Gaza would unfold in three phases including an initial period of about six months, called the early recovery stage, to start clearing the massive amounts of rubble as well as unexploded ordinance. Two subsequent stages would last several years.

During this time displaced Palestinians, said to number 1.5 million, would be housed in temporary containers. Photographs in the glossy brochure present them as well-built and designed housing units set in pretty landscaped areas.

President Trump continues to wonder aloud “Why wouldn’t they want to move?” His description of Gaza as a “demolition site” underlines how the territory lies in utter ruin. The UN says 90% of homes are damaged or destroyed.

All the basics of a life worth living, from schools and hospitals to sewage systems and electricity lines, are shredded.

Map showing damaged areas of the Gaza Strip (11 January 2025)

The US President deepened the shock and anger around his ideas when he posted an AI generated video of a golden Gaza on his Truth Social account which featured a shimmering statue of himself, his close ally Elon Musk enjoying snacks on the beach, and he and the Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu sunning themselves, shirtless. All to a catchy tune, with lines like “Trump Gaza is finally here”.

“They had President Trump in mind,” remarked one Western diplomat who attended a briefing about Egypt’s plan at the foreign ministry in Cairo. “It’s very glossy and very well-prepared.”

Cairo’s proposal is said to have drawn on a wide range of expertise, from World Bank professionals on sustainability, to Dubai developers on hotels.

There are also lessons learned from other ravaged cities which rose from the ruins including Hiroshima, Beirut, and Berlin. And the proposed designs are also influenced by Egypt’s own experience in developing its “New Cairo”, its grand megaproject which has seen a new administrative capital rising from the desert – at great expense.

The American President has said he won’t “force” his ideas on anyone but still insists his plan is the one “that really works”.

Now it is up to the Arab states and their allies to prove that their plan is the only plan.

[BBC]



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Foreign News

North Korea cancels Pyongyang Marathon for ‘some reasons’

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The annual marathon is usually held in April [BBC]

North Korea has cancelled the Pyongyang marathon for unspecified reasons, a tour agency linked to the event has said.

British-owned Koryo Tours, which describes itself as the official partner of the marathon, said on Monday that it had received notice of the cancellation from North Korea’s athletics association.

A message it attributed to the association said the marathon was being cancelled “due to some reasons”.

The annual event was established in 1981 to celebrate the birth of North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il Sung. The 2026 race was set to take place on 5 April.

The message, purportedly from the North Korea athletics association’s general secretary, thanked “all the Elite Marathoners and Amateur Runners of the world who are interested in Pyongyang International Marathon”.

The message gave no further explanation on what the reasons for the cancellation were.

Koryo Tours said it understood the decision was final and had been taken “at a level above the organisers of the event itself”.

It said it would be seeking clarification on the circumstances surrounding the decision.

The tour company added that neither organisers nor event partners were involved in making the decision, and said it recognised “this announcement will be disappointing to many runners who had already registered or were planning to participate”.

Koryo Tours, based in Beijing, China, offers several marathon packages to foreigners, departing from Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang.

Packages start from €2,190 ($2,529; £1,894) for 2.5 nights in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, including a marathon place and “highlights” of the capital and tickets were sold out this year, according to the agency’s website.

It said all deposits paid will be returned and runners have the option to retain their deposit for a future event or North Korea tour.

A date for the 2027 marathon has not yet been set.

The event had only returned last year after it was suspended for five consecutive years due to the Covid pandemic.

It is open to both amateur and some professional athletes and offers several race distances – 5km (3.1 miles), 10km (6.2 miles), half marathon (21.1km; 13.1 miles) or full marathon (42.2km; 26.2 miles).

[BBC]

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Canadian officials rescue 23 people who floated away on ice sheet

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Twenty-three people have been rescued by helicopter crews in Ontario, Canada, after the ice shelf they were standing on broke, sending the group floating into Lake Huron.

Ontario Provincial Police said on social media that the rescue began around noon (16:00 GMT) on Sunday after “winds and current moved the ice shelf away from shore” approximately 2km (1.2 miles).

The rescue involved two helicopters making multiple trips to pluck people off the shelf as it continued to fracture into more pieces in the Owen Sound, about 200km north-west of Toronto.

One member of the group said that he only realised the ice he was fishing on had detached from shore when he noticed that his GPS showed him moving.

Members of the rescued group described harrowing moments, with several of them becoming partially submerged in the cold waters as they sought out the thickest ice on the floe, or sheet.

“I looked at my GPS. We were moving,” fisherman Kevin Fox wrote, identifying himself on Facebook as one of those who were caught up in the incident. “I turned around and saw waves forming behind us.”

He said that he and several others started running towards a route that they hoped still connected to shore.

Ontario Provincial Police Helicopters seen landing people at a golf course along the water

“We decided to run toward one side of the bay, but when we got there the ice had already separated from shore. We turned and ran the other way, but the ice there was breaking apart too,” he wrote.

Some started phoning their families, said Fox, adding: “It’s something I will never forget – seeing grown men crying while saying goodbye to the people they love.”

Fellow fisherman Alfie How told The Owen Sound Sun Times that they eventually “just sat down as a group and said this could be the end”.

Fox told the paper that the rescue occurred during high wind, and the group was concerned that the helicopters would not be able to fly.

“It was being eroded,” Fox said. “It kept getting smaller, and smaller.”

Police say several members of the group suffered hypothermia, but that everyone was expected to make a full recovery.

“Great teamwork and a quick response by all involved,” police added.

Last month in the US state of Vermont, police rescued a group of ice skaters who had also become trapped on floating ice.

Using kayaks and ferry boats, rescuers brought the group back from the icy Lake Champlain.

Officials warn that ice fishing conditions can change rapidly during the relatively warm daylight hours.

[BBC]

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Heavy rains and flooding kills at least 23 in Nairobi

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A man looks through the wreckage of private vehicles destroyed following heavy rainfall in the Grogan area of Nairobi [BBC]

At least 23 people have been killed in Nairobi after heavy rain overnight caused severe flooding in Kenya’s capital city.

Police said about 30 people had been rescued but many others drowned after being swept into rivers – some have been electrocuted.

Kenya’s military has been deployed to help people trapped inside their cars as police described widespread damage to properties as well as road closures.

Several flights bound for Nairobi Airport had to be cancelled or diverted to the coastal city of Mombasa.

“The torrential rains have led to significant flooding, unfortunately resulting in 23 fatalities so far, the destruction of property, road closures, and the displacement of residents,” police said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.

 

[BBC]

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