Trump to Lead White House Talks on Gaza’s Future

US President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump will chair a meeting today at the White House to discuss post-war plans for Gaza, his envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed on Tuesday.

“We've got a large meeting in the White House today, chaired by the president, and it's a very comprehensive plan we're putting together for the next day,” Witkoff said in a television interview, without offering further details.

When asked if there was a “plan for the day after in Gaza,” Witkoff referred to preparations following the end of Israel’s war in the Palestinian territory, which began in October 2023.

Earlier this year, Trump shocked many by suggesting that the United States should take control of Gaza, clear out its two million residents, and develop the area into seaside real estate. He described his vision as transforming Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” after clearing rubble and unexploded ordnance.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the idea, though it was strongly criticised by numerous European and Arab states.

Witkoff did not provide specifics about the new plan but insisted that observers would “see how robust it is and how well-meaning it is.”

The war in Gaza began with the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed at least 62,819 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry in Gaza, figures the United Nations considers credible.