‘We’re going to settle this one way or another, certainly before the end of this year,’ Witkoff says ahead of Wednesday’s ‘large meeting,’ stresses US doesn’t want further partial hostage deals

US President Donald Trump will chair a “large meeting” at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the “comprehensive plan” that the administration is putting together for the postwar management of Gaza, his special envoy Steve Witkoff announced.

Tuesday’s remarks appeared to be the first time that Witkoff has revealed the existence of a US plan for the so-called day after, as Washington has largely deferred on the issue to its Arab allies in the region — following Trump’s February remarks on his vision to take over Gaza and permanently relocate its residents. While Israel welcomed the idea, it was roundly rejected by US partners in the Middle East which Trump had hoped would be willing to take in Palestinian refugees.

“Many people are going to see how robust it is and how well meaning it is, and it reflects President Trump’s humanitarian motives,” Witkoff said in a Fox News interview, without elaborating further.

Last month, Trump made headlines when he said he’d be unveiling a new aid plan for the Gaza Strip. The White House said the plan would be announced shortly thereafter but never ended up following through. Ultimately, the State Department indicated that the administration would suffice with increasing the number of distribution sites being operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation from three to 16. That expansion has yet to take place, however, and the US has only transferred half of the $30 million pledged for the project, which will likely cost much more.

Witkoff also said Tuesday that the Trump administration’s official position is to oppose additional partial Gaza hostage deals, lining up behind Israel, which has avoided responding to a proposal accepted by Hamas for a phased release of the 50 remaining captives. Twenty of these are believed to be alive, there are grave concerns for the well-being of two, and the Israeli authorities have confirmed the deaths of the 28 others.

Trump himself indicated that this was his administration’s stance when he posted on Truth Social hours after Hamas accepted the Arab mediators’ latest proposal on August 18 that the remaining hostages would only be freed after the terror group has been completely destroyed.

However, the White House said the next day that it was still reviewing the latest phased hostage deal proposal, which is nearly identical to the one that Witkoff crafted several months ago.

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