Emergency Meeting Led by Trump to Determine the Fate of Gaza After Two Years of War

U.S. President Donald Trump is chairing a wide-ranging meeting at the White House today, Wednesday, August 27, to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip, in a move described by officials as part of a "very comprehensive plan" for the day after the end of the war that has lasted nearly two years between Israel and Hamas.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced in a statement to Fox News that the meeting will be "important" and will be held under Trump's personal chairmanship, without revealing specific details.

Witkoff added: "We are working on a very comprehensive plan for the day after the end of the war in Gaza, which will be presented today at the White House. People will see how strong it is and how good its intentions are."

This meeting comes in the wake of the end of the war that erupted on October 7, 2023, following a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to official Israeli data reported by Agence France-Presse.

Since that date, Israel has launched intensive military operations on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of at least 62,819 people, most of them civilians, according to the latest statistics released by the health ministry affiliated with Hamas.

The war has caused widespread devastation in the besieged Palestinian territory, leaving an unprecedented humanitarian crisis for its population of over two million.

On August 22, the United Nations officially declared a state of famine in Gaza, noting that about 500,000 people are suffering from hunger at a "catastrophic" level, according to a report by UN experts. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the UN report as "outright lies."

Earlier this year, Trump sparked international controversy when he proposed a controversial plan for the United States to take control of the Gaza Strip after the war, evacuate its two million residents, and transform the area into the "Riviera of the Middle East" by clearing rubble and unexploded bombs, turning it into a luxury tourist resort.

This proposal received praise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while it faced widespread criticism from several Arab and European countries, which considered it a violation of international law and a disregard for Palestinian rights.

The international community is awaiting the results of this meeting at the White House, amid many questions about the features of the new U.S. plan, its feasibility, and how it will be implemented in light of the massive destruction, political division, and the regional and international complexities surrounding the Palestinian issue.