Arab leaders are set to meet Friday in Saudi Arabia to discuss countering US President Donald Trump’s plan for United States control of the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip and the expulsion of its people, diplomatic and government sources have said.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has invited the leaders of Gulf Arab countries, Egypt and Jordan for the meeting in the capital, Riyadh, according to Saudi state news agency SPA.

The meeting will be unofficial and held within “the framework of the close brotherly relations that bring together the leaders”, SPA added.

Trump’s plan has united Arab states in opposition, but disagreements remain over who should govern the enclave and how to fund its reconstruction.

Umer Karim, an expert on Saudi foreign policy, called the summit the “most consequential” in decades for the wider Arab world and the Palestinian issue.

Trump triggered global outrage when he proposed that the US would “take over the Gaza Strip” and that its 2.4 million people be relocated to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan.