US President Donald Trump has chaired a meeting at the White House to discuss plans for post-war Gaza.
According to sources, the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, was attended by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and senior administration officials. The exact content of the plan is still unclear.
Earlier in the day, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff revealed that Washington hopes Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip will be resolved before the end of the year. According to Mr. Witkoff, Israel has expressed its willingness to continue negotiations with the Palestinian armed group Hamas, while Hamas has also signaled its readiness for a solution.
On the same day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a separate meeting with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar in Washington. At this meeting, Mr. Rubio reaffirmed “the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security”. For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Sa’ar said it was a “very good meeting” but did not provide further details. Asked about plans for a Palestinian state, Sa’ar replied: “There is no plan.”
US President Donald Trump pledged to quickly end the war in Gaza during his 2024 election campaign and after taking office in January, but nearly seven months later, that goal has yet to be achieved. In recent weeks, images of Palestinians, including children, starving to death in Gaza have outraged the international community and sparked criticism of Israel over the worsening humanitarian situation.