U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump would chair a White House meeting on Gaza on Wednesday, adding that Washington expected Israel’s war in the Palestinian territory to be resolved before the end of the year.
Separately, the State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would meet Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in Washington on Wednesday. Their meeting at the State Department is scheduled for 1515 ET (1915 GMT), according to the department’s public calendar.
Trump, who had promised during the 2024 election campaign to swiftly end the Gaza war after taking office in January, has so far struggled to deliver on that pledge. Nearly seven months into his second term, fighting continues despite an early ceasefire that collapsed in March after Israeli airstrikes killed around 400 Palestinians.
Images of starving Palestinians, including children, have in recent weeks drawn international outrage and heightened criticism of Israel over worsening humanitarian conditions.
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Speaking on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier, Witkoff confirmed that a detailed post-war plan for Gaza would be discussed at Wednesday’s White House meeting.
“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,” he said, without offering details or naming participants.
Pressed on whether Israel should change its approach to end the war and secure the release of hostages, Witkoff responded:
“We think that we’re going to settle this one way or another, certainly before the end of this year.”
He added that Israel remained open to talks with Palestinian militant group Hamas, which, he said, had signalled openness to a potential settlement.
Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, launched after Hamas’ October 2023 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and led to about 250 hostages being taken, has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. The campaign has displaced Gaza’s entire population, caused severe food shortages, and prompted accusations of genocide and war crimes at international courts allegations Israel denies.
