Trump and advisers, including Kushner and Blair, meet on Gaza’s future

Palestinian families flee their homes in the Jabalia al-Balad and Abu Iskandar areas north of Gaza City, after the Israeli Army announced its intention to expand the scope of the military operation and focus on Gaza City. US President Donald Trump held a lengthy Oval Office meeting on about the postwar future of the Gaza Strip. Photo / Saher Alghorra, The New York Times

United States President Donald Trump held a lengthy Oval Office meeting today about the post-war future of the Gaza Strip, even as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas remains elusive and residents of the territory face a humanitarian crisis.

Trump met for more than 90 minutes with his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, as well as with Trump’s son-in-law and former White House adviser Jared Kushner, according to two people briefed on the matter.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as Trump’s national security adviser, was there for portions of the meeting, as was Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has since begun a global institute, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Kushner did not respond to a message seeking comment.

He has never been fully gone from Trump’s orbit, taking a behind-the-scenes role in recent years.

During the first Trump Administration, he led the way on Trump’s biggest diplomatic achievement, the Abraham Accords establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and three Arab states and has his own business and other ties to the region.

Details of today’s meeting were not immediately clear. Witkoff revealed plans for the meeting in a Fox News interview yesterday, saying that the Administration was assembling “a very comprehensive plan” to deal with the region.

Trump has spoken in broad terms about a bright future for Gaza — but not necessarily one that includes the Palestinians who live there.

He has mused about turning the territory into a luxury resort and, at times, moving its residents elsewhere.

The Oval Office meeting came the same day that Rubio met the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs at the State Department, according to a readout from Israeli officials. Rubio and Gideon Sa’ar spoke about the situation in the Middle East, including the aftermath of the Israeli war on Iran, the Trump Administration’s bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, and the war in Gaza.

Recently, the US became more active in distributing aid to Palestinians in Gaza. The United Nations Security Council has said the territory is facing a hunger crisis caused by Israel, which has pounded Gaza with strikes since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas sparked the fighting.

Witkoff has been Trump’s lead in talks that led to the return of some of the hostages taken by Hamas during the bloody attack, but efforts at a sustainable ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages have encountered roadblocks.

While previous talks managed to briefly stop the fighting, the US and Israel continue to seek a comprehensive deal to end the conflict and return the rest of the hostages.

The Israeli military has been gearing up for a full-scale offensive to take over Gaza City. Israeli officials say the new military push would begin in the coming weeks unless Hamas agrees to Israel’s terms.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Written by: Maggie Haberman

Photographs by: Saher Alghorra

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