US drafting detailed postwar plan for Gaza - Witkoff
Photo: Steve Witkoff (Getty Images)
US president Donald Trump will hold a meeting at the White House on Gaza, after which a postwar plan for the territory will be drafted.
This was stated by Trump’s special representative Steve Witkoff, according to Reuters.
During a Fox News segment, the host asked Steve Witkoff whether a postwar plan for Gaza exists. He replied:
"Yes, we've got a large meeting in the White House tomorrow, chaired by the president, and it's a very comprehensive plan we're putting together on the next day."
Asked whether Israel should do anything differently to end the war and bring the hostages home, Trump’s special representative said the issue would be resolved by year-end; at least that is the expectation in the United States.
Witkoff also said Israel is open to continuing negotiations with Hamas, adding that the group has indicated it is ready for a settlement.
When asked whether Hamas must be destroyed, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, Witkoff responded that it was not for him to decide. He stressed that a deal should be reached, hostages must be returned, and Hamas understands it cannot be part of the government in the future, a condition set both by Israel and by President Trump.
Gaza operation - Background
Earlier this month, Israel approved a plan to expand military operations across the Gaza Strip, including the capture of Gaza City. Netanyahu has said the goal is not occupation but the destruction of Hamas.
US president Donald Trump recently urged Israel to end the war as quickly as possible while appearing to support Israel Defense Forces operations in the enclave. "I think that within the next two or three weeks, you are going to have a pretty good, final ending," Trump said.
A detailed analysis of why Israel decided to launch its offensive and why it is being discussed only now can be found in the RBC-Ukraine report.
