A behind-the-scenes summit was held at the White House to increase humanitarian aid to famine-stricken Gaza and to discuss a post-war plan. This move comes as people in the Strip continue to die from hunger or Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacks. On the outskirts of Gaza City, the IDF is preparing an offensive to capture the largest city in the Palestinian territory, believing its full evacuation is “inevitable.”
Chaired by Donald Trump, the meeting included American and Israeli officials, with a separate discussion between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. However, all eyes were on Jared Kushner—the former president’s son-in-law, ex-senior advisor, and one-time Middle East point man—and Tony Blair, the former British Prime Minister and ex-envoy for the European Quartet. According to an Axios scoop, they are the architects of the “day after” operation for Gaza, a plan considered indispensable for any diplomatic initiative to end the war, though reconstructing the devastated enclave and designing an acceptable political and security architecture will be incredibly difficult.
The Kushner-Blair plan, details of which have not yet leaked, is based on ideas for governing Gaza without Hamas in power. A White House-coordinated post-war plan could provide Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under pressure from protesters and his military leadership, with the political cover to accept a ceasefire by presenting it as part of a broader agreement to remove Hamas from power. Steve Witkoff, a Trump envoy, assured, “It is a very comprehensive plan we are putting together for the day after… that will reflect the humanitarian motivations of President Trump.” Witkoff announced a “major meeting” on Gaza and suggested the war could conclude by year’s end.
Axios reports that Witkoff has been discussing the post-war plan for months with Kushner and Blair, following Trump’s controversial proposal to turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Blair met Witkoff at the White House in July, the same day Netanyahu met with Trump. Shortly after, Blair met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to brief him on the post-war proposals. Kushner was also in Israel this month, meeting with Netanyahu to discuss Gaza. Blair is close to Netanyahu and his top advisor, Ron Dermer, who is leading Israel’s post-war planning. Notably, Blair, Dermer, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed had previously worked on a joint post-war plan for Gaza during the Biden administration, parts of which were incorporated into a plan presented by then-Secretary of State Tony Blinken.
A key goal of the White House summit was also to address humanitarian aid. A U.S. official stated the aim is to “expand the food plan, the quantity, the method of distribution, the number of people who could be assisted,” adding that Trump’s instruction was to “solve this problem.” Meanwhile, the UN Security Council heard that “over half a million people are currently suffering hunger, destitution, and death in Gaza,” a number that could exceed 640,000 by the end of September. The report warns that “virtually no one in Gaza is immune from hunger,” projecting at least 132,000 children under five will suffer from acute malnutrition by mid-2026. According to media reports, at least 51 Palestinians were killed in IDF attacks in the Strip from dawn on Wednesday, while the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry states that 10 Palestinians, including two children, have died from “famine and malnutrition” in the past 24 hours.