By Muhammad Mamman
US President Donald Trump is set to convene a high-level meeting at the White House on Wednesday to discuss post-war strategies for Gaza, his special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed on Tuesday.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Witkoff said: “We’ve got a large meeting in the White House tomorrow, chaired by the president. It’s a very comprehensive plan we’re putting together on the next day,” though he declined to provide further details.
The remarks came in response to questions on whether Washington has a strategy for “the day after” Israel’s war in Gaza, which erupted following Hamas’s unprecedented assault on Israel in October 2023. That attack left 1,219 people dead, mostly civilians, according to official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed at least 62,819 Palestinians, the majority civilians, according to figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry that the United Nations deems credible.
Trump caused global shock earlier this year after suggesting that the United States should seize control of Gaza, evacuate its two million residents, and transform the enclave into a luxury coastal destination. He claimed Washington would clear debris and unexploded ordnance and rebuild Gaza as the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
The controversial proposal won praise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but drew condemnation from numerous Arab and European governments.
Witkoff on Tuesday would not expand on the details of the White House plan but insisted it would be viewed as both “robust” and “well-intentioned.”
