Trump to discuss Gaza with officials from Muslim-majority countries

2025-09-23 09:07:24, Kosova & Bota CNA

US President Donald Trump will meet with leaders and officials from several Muslim-majority countries on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Gaza, which is facing an escalating offensive by Washington's ally Israel.

White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Trump will hold a multilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan.

A person with knowledge of the talks said Gaza would be discussed, Reuters reports.

According to the news portal Axios, Trump will present the group with a proposal for peace and for the governance of Gaza after the war.

In addition to releasing the hostages and ending the war, Trump is expected to discuss US plans for an Israeli withdrawal and for post-war governance in Gaza, without the involvement of Hamas, which Washington and the European Union consider a terrorist organization.

The US wants Arab and Muslim countries to agree to send military forces to Gaza, to enable Israel's withdrawal and to provide funding for transition and reconstruction programs, Axios wrote.

Trump will address the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, a day after dozens of world leaders gathered in New York to support the creation of a Palestinian state - a significant diplomatic shift, nearly two years after the war in Gaza, that faces fierce opposition from Israel and the US.

Some countries declared that the two-state solution was the only way to achieve peace, but Israel said that recognizing a Palestinian state would be a reward for extremism.

Israel's offensive on Gaza since October 2023 has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced Gaza's entire population, and caused a famine. Many rights experts, academics, and a UN investigation have called it genocide.

Israel calls its actions self-defense, following a Hamas attack in October 2023 that killed 1,200 people and during which more than 250 people were taken hostage.

Israel has also bombed Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Qatar during the course of the Gaza war. Trump had promised a quick end to the war in Gaza, but a resolution remains elusive, eight months into his term.

Trump's term began with a two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which ended when Israeli airstrikes killed 400 Palestinians on March 18. More recently, images of starving Palestinians, including children, have fueled global outrage over the Israeli offensive.

In February, Trump proposed a US takeover of Gaza, and a permanent relocation of Palestinians from there.

The plan has been called "ethnic cleansing" by rights experts and the UN. Forced displacement is illegal under international law. Trump presented the plan as an idea for redevelopment./ REL