U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday convened a high-level meeting with leaders from several Arab and Islamic nations to discuss ways to end the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Emirati news agency WAM, the meeting took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and brought together Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were also in attendance.
Talks centered on securing a “sustainable and lasting” ceasefire, facilitating the release of hostages, and tackling the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, WAM reported.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of growing international recognition of Palestinian statehood, a move welcomed by many countries but rejected by Israel and its key ally, the United States.
Describing the discussions as a “very good, successful meeting,” Trump said progress had been made, though Israel was not represented. He is expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next Monday.
U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian-led mediation efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas have remained deadlocked for months. Disagreements persist over how Gaza should be governed and secured in the aftermath of nearly two years of war.
Trump had earlier floated the controversial idea of relocating Gaza residents and transforming the territory into a Middle Eastern “Riviera,” a proposal that drew widespread criticism.