Trump Pushes Post-War Gaza Plan, Witkoff to Meet Netanyahu Aide/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Israeli official Ron Dermer in Washington to discuss U.S. proposals for governing Gaza after the war. The talks focus on a potential 60-day ceasefire and long-term security arrangements excluding Hamas. Trump aims for a breakthrough as tensions remain high over Gaza’s future.
Quick Look
- Trump envoy Steve Witkoff meeting Israel’s Ron Dermer
- Aim: 60-day Gaza truce, new governance plan
- Hamas demands guarantee war will end permanently
- Israel wants local rule, no Hamas or PA control
- Netanyahu-White House meeting scheduled next week
- Trump seeks major foreign policy win before elections
Trump Envoy to Meet Netanyahu Aide on Post-War Gaza Blueprint
Deep Look
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, will meet Tuesday with one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest advisers to discuss U.S. plans for governing Gaza after the war, two American and Israeli officials told Axios.
The high-level talks underscore Trump’s push to capitalize on momentum from the Israel–Iran ceasefire in hopes of forging a breakthrough in Gaza, including a proposed 60-day truce and a deal to bring Israeli hostages home.
“The president wants to see it end. He wants to save lives,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday, calling the hostage issue Trump’s top priority.
Path Toward a Truce
Trump said on Tuesday while visiting Florida that he intends to speak with Netanyahu and be “very firm” about wrapping up the conflict and securing the hostages’ release.
He insisted Netanyahu shares his desire to end the war, predicting a deal could be struck as soon as next week.
Ron Dermer, Israel’s Minister for Strategic Affairs and one of Netanyahu’s most trusted confidants, arrived in Washington on Monday. Dermer is scheduled Tuesday to hold meetings with Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President J.D. Vance, according to sources familiar with his itinerary.
Israeli officials said Dermer’s trip aims to set the stage for Netanyahu’s upcoming White House meeting with Trump, planned for next Monday.
Inside the Draft Deal
Witkoff is expected to brief Dermer on efforts to finalize a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas that would include the release of 10 living hostages and the return of the remains of 15 others, officials familiar with the negotiations said.
In recent days, Witkoff has been in touch with Qatari and Egyptian mediators helping broker dialogue between Israel and Hamas. A source with direct knowledge of the talks said Witkoff has signaled Trump’s intent to push aggressively for an agreement in the coming days.
A draft plan envisions using the two-month ceasefire to negotiate a permanent end to the war and lay out a framework for how Gaza would be governed afterward.
For Israel, any longer-term truce hinges on Hamas relinquishing power, dismantling its military wing, and the exile of senior commanders.
“There aren’t too many senior Hamas commanders still alive in Gaza,” one Israeli official said. “We won’t need a big ship to send them to exile. A small boat will do.”
Israel wants Gaza governed by local Palestinian leaders unaffiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, while Arab states such as Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia would help oversee security and reconstruction.
Still, one Israeli official described the Trump administration’s “day after” vision as “very general and in broad strokes.”
Lingering Obstacles
Despite Israel’s willingness to advance a deal, significant hurdles remain.
Hamas demands guarantees that any temporary truce will ultimately end the war. Israeli officials say they cannot offer that certainty upfront, though they’re open to revising the language of the agreement to make it more palatable.
“We have no problem changing parts of the agreement’s wording,” a senior Israeli official said. “Hamas wants certainty that the war will end — they won’t get that. But we’re willing to be flexible up to the point of giving this certainty.”
Hamas maintains that neither Israel nor the U.S. has shown a real commitment to concluding the conflict, while Israel warns that if ceasefire talks stall, military operations will intensify.
On Monday, Israel instructed additional Palestinian civilians to evacuate parts of Gaza City, signaling preparations for a broader ground assault.
“We’ll do to Gaza City and the central camps what we did to Rafah,” a senior Israeli official said. “Everything will turn to dust. It’s not our preferred option, but if there’s no movement toward a hostage deal, we won’t have any other choice.”
Trump’s push for a breakthrough comes as he seeks to frame himself as a peacemaker heading into the U.S. election season, while Israel faces rising international pressure to bring the devastating war to an end.
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