Egyptian, Palestinian Officials Call to Rebuild Gaza Without Forcing Out Palestinians 

People walk amid collapsed buildings along Saftawi street in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on February 5, 2025 during a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas went into effect. (AFP)
People walk amid collapsed buildings along Saftawi street in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on February 5, 2025 during a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas went into effect. (AFP)
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Egyptian, Palestinian Officials Call to Rebuild Gaza Without Forcing Out Palestinians 

People walk amid collapsed buildings along Saftawi street in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on February 5, 2025 during a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas went into effect. (AFP)
People walk amid collapsed buildings along Saftawi street in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on February 5, 2025 during a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas went into effect. (AFP)

Egypt's foreign minister and the Palestinian prime minister on Wednesday called to rebuild Gaza without forcing out its Palestinians residents.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamad Mustafa provided “an integrated vision” to remove the rubble and rebuild Gaza in cooperation with international groups, according to an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement after Mustafa met with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Cairo.

The statement did not address Trump’s remarks directly but said both sides called to accelerate rebuilding and the delivery of aid “without moving the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.”



Kurdish Leaderships Reveal Details of Plan to Merge with Syrian Army

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)
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Kurdish Leaderships Reveal Details of Plan to Merge with Syrian Army

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)

Sources close to the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the group’s decision to merge its military and security bodies with those of the Kurdish Autonomous Administration is a serious step toward talks with Damascus.

The move, announced late Monday, aims to integrate the SDF into the Syrian army.

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi invited Syrian interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to visit SDF-held areas in northeastern Syria, congratulating him on leading the country’s transition.

The SDF had published the minutes of a three-way meeting that included Abdi along with leaders from the group’s political wing, the Syrian Democratic Council, and the executive administration of the Autonomous Administration.

The meeting resulted in an agreement to merge the SDF’s military and security institutions with the security bodies of the Autonomous Administration under the Syrian army’s structure.

It also approved the reactivation of state-run civil and service institutions in northeastern Syria and the withdrawal of non-Syrian foreign fighters from SDF ranks and areas under its control as part of efforts to bolster national sovereignty and stability.

Abu Omar Al-Idlibi, a senior commander in the SDF, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting concluded with an understanding that the SDF would be integrated into Syria’s Ministry of Defense as a single unit, potentially within a corps or as part of the ministry’s eastern command.

However, he noted that discussions were still in their early stages and that oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria were not on the agenda at this stage, but could be addressed in future talks.

Al-Idlibi described the move as an effort to unify forces and strengthen national unity, while reviving state-run civil and service institutions in the northeast to improve public services and living conditions.

The meeting emphasized the need to boost coordination with Damascus, increase dialogue on national issues, and reaffirm Syria’s territorial integrity.

Al-Idlibi said the latest decisions would support the integration of local forces into the Syrian army, bolster its defense capabilities, and facilitate the return of displaced people to their hometowns, particularly those from areas affected by Turkish military operations.