Washington Awaits Arab countries’ plan for Gaza

President Trump has openly escalated pressure on Egypt and Jordan to accept Palestinians he intends to expel from Gaza, as part of his vision to transform the war-ravaged strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” His aggressive stance was evident during his meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House Tuesday, where he publicly promoted his Gaza plan, embarrassing the Jordanian king in front of the press.

While Trump’s proposal has been widely rejected globally, Israel remains the sole backer of the idea as it continues its military operations in the West Bank and Lebanon while reluctantly maintaining a truce with Hamas in Gaza until the remaining Israeli captives are retrieved.

Truce holds amid Trump’s unrealistic proposals

Despite Trump’s controversial plans and threats, humanitarian aid convoys are preparing to enter Gaza from Egypt, meeting one of Hamas’ key conditions for proceeding with the prisoner exchange deal under the first phase of the truce agreement.

This follows Hamas’ warning to suspend the exchange process in response to Israel’s delays in initiating negotiations for the second phase of the deal and its refusal to allow mobile homes and other humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied reaching any agreement with Hamas regarding the crisis. However, Egyptian and Qatari mediation efforts successfully removed obstacles that had hindered the full implementation of the ceasefire, ensuring that both parties remain committed to the truce.

In a statement, Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to releasing Israeli captives held in Gaza according to the agreed-upon timetable. The ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on January 19, has a 42-day first phase, with the sixth batch of prisoner exchanges scheduled for Saturday, February 15.

Under the agreement’s terms, 33 Israeli captives are set to be released from Gaza by early March, in exchange for 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. So far, 16 Israelis and 765 Palestinians have been freed.

Hamas has also called for the immediate commencement of negotiations for the second phase of the prisoner exchange deal, blaming Israel for any delays. Netanyahu is suspected of stalling the process to free himself from the burden of the captives held by Palestinian resistance groups.

Netanyahu, with Trump’s backing, has threatened to terminate the ceasefire and resume full-scale military operations until a “decisive victory” is achieved.

Meanwhile, far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit Party, expressed willingness to return to the Israeli government after resigning three and a half weeks ago in opposition to the deal with Hamas.

“If Netanyahu resumes the war, I will return to the government immediately,” he said.

However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio countered such calls for renewed hostilities, stating that resuming the war will not solve the crisis in Gaza, and describing the continued implementation of the ceasefire as a positive step.

U.S. and Arab diplomatic efforts on Gaza’s future

The U.S. State Department announced that Rubio will tour the Middle East to discuss the release of Israeli captives in Gaza and progress on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Egypt has launched a diplomatic campaign to mobilize support for an Arab-led, Arab-funded initiative to rebuild Gaza, aiming to undermine Trump’s strange and offensive Gaza resettlement plan.

Rubio urged Arab nations to submit a plan for Gaza after their meeting in Saudi Arabia, stating that Washington’s only existing plan is to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza. The U.S. is now waiting to review the Arab nations’ proposal.

Jordan and Egypt under pressure from Trump

Despite the strong rejection by Arab countries of Trump’s Gaza transfer plan, the president continues to advocate for it, insisting on his intention to seize and redevelop Gaza.

“I will turn Gaza into a prime development site… I will take care of the Palestinians and ensure they are not killed,” Trump declared, reiterating pressure on Egypt and Jordan to resettle Gaza’s population elsewhere.

During his White House meeting with King Abdullah II, Trump attempted to pressure the Jordanian king into softening his stance on rejecting the resettlement plan, reminding him that the U.S. provides substantial financial aid to Jordan and Egypt.

While Egypt has remained firm in its opposition, King Abdullah’s public stance appeared more nuanced, as he did not explicitly reject the plan in front of the press. However, later on social media, he stated that he had “strongly opposed the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank”, calling it “a unified Arab position.”

Jordan’s apparent hesitation raises concerns about a possible willingness to negotiate, explaining why Abdullah emphasized his “constructive” meeting with Trump in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi reportedly postponed his planned visit to Washington, scheduled for next week, amid growing tensions over Trump’s pressure campaign.

Egyptian diplomatic sources revealed that Cairo is preparing a counterproposal for Gaza’s future, which will be coordinated with Palestinian leadership and formally presented at the upcoming Arab League summit in Cairo on February 27.

Escalation in the West Bank

As diplomatic negotiations continue, Israel has intensified military operations in the occupied West Bank under “Operation Iron Wall.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced the expansion of military operations into the Jenin, Tubas and Tulkarm regions, including forced displacements and land demolitions in refugee camps.

Yemen warns against renewed war in Gaza

As Israeli officials push for a return to war, Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthi) leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi warned the U.S. and Israel of a military response if they proceed with plans to forcibly expel Palestinians from Gaza.

“Yemen will intervene with missile strikes, drone attacks and naval operations if the Americans and Israelis attempt to implement forced displacement,” Houthi said.

He also called on Yemeni armed forces to be prepared for military action if Trump proceeds with his threats.

Lebanon awaits Israeli withdrawal amid political shifts

Lebanon is closely watching both the formation of the new government under Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the scheduled Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories by February 18.

However, reports indicate that Israeli forces are lobbying through Washington to maintain control over five strategic highland positions despite the withdrawal.

Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus visited Lebanon, sparking controversy by praising Israel for weakening Hezbollah and stating that the U.S. seeks to prevent Hezbollah from having government influence.

Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri confirmed that the Israeli withdrawal is expected to proceed, but warned that Hezbollah will not tolerate continued Israeli military presence in Lebanese territories.