Christodoulides heads to Egypt to demand Cyprus have a role in Gaza’s future

President Nikos Christodoulides is to travel to Egypt on Monday to attend a summit on the future of Gaza, and said on Sunday that he will demand that Cyprus have a role in the strip’s future.

He described his invite to the summit, which will be held in the coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh – itself occupied by Israel between 1967 and 1982 – as a “recognition of the role of the Republic of Cyprus in the region” and a recognition of “what we have done all this time”.

At the same time, he said, the invitation is “an indication of what is expected of us by the international community”.

Looking ahead to the summit itself, he said Cyprus has “a specific plan which we will develop … in relation to the reconstruction of Gaza”.

“We want Cypriot companies to have a role in the reconstruction of the country, we want the Republic of Cyprus to have a role in security issues, all those which fall within what has been agreed, especially in the first phase of the agreement,” he said.

He then spoke about how Cyprus “consolidated” its position in the international community with both the Amalthea humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza and the ‘Estia’ plan, wherein people were evacuated from conflict zones via Cyprus.

As such, he said, “I consider that the invitation is a clear indication of recognition of this role the Republic of Cyprus has undertaken, and also of what we can do from now on”.

“We are not resting on our laurels, and I am glad that we are being recognised by the international community, but at the same time, we also have a specific plan from now on, both in relation to the reconstruction of Gaza with the participation of Cypriot companies and in providing more humanitarian aid,” he said.

Monday’s summit will come as a ceasefire between the State of Israel and Hamas continues to hold, as the two sides and the international community attempt to reconcile, with the aim of bringing to an end the conflict which broke out in the region in October 2023, based on a plan drawn up by United States President Donald Trump.

The plan entails the creation of a “temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people of Gaza”, thus ensuring that Hamas’ control of the strip is brought to an end.

The committee would be made up of “qualified Palestinians and international experts”, and overseen by a “board of peace” to be headed by Trump himself, with former British prime minister Tony Blair said to be a candidate for the board.

Under the plan, Gaza would be declared a “deradicalised terror-free zone which does not pose a threat to its neighbours”, and be “redeveloped for the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough”.

It also stipulates that once the plan is accepted, “full aid will immediately be sent” to Gaza, while infrastructure including water, electricity, and sewage would be “rehabilitated”, and the “necessary equipment” would be allowed to enter the strip to “remove rubble and open roads”.

Additionally, it stipulates that “an interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasising the benefits which can be derived from peace”.

It adds that the US government will “establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence”.