U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday hosted leaders of several Arab and Islamic countries in New York to discuss ways to end the devastating war in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Emirati news agency WAM, the high-level meeting was held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and brought together Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were also in attendance.
Talks centered on achieving a sustainable and lasting ceasefire, securing the release of hostages, and addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Trump described the meeting as a “very good, successful” step forward.
The meeting came at a time when several Western countries have moved to formally recognize Palestinian statehood—a decision strongly opposed by Israel and the U.S. Trump is expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next Monday.
Negotiations, mediated by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt, have struggled for months to produce a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile, proposals on Gaza’s future governance remain contentious.
Trump had earlier floated a plan to resettle Gazans elsewhere and turn the enclave into a Middle East “Riviera,” but the idea drew fierce criticism.
Report by: Praise Ekrika | Edited by: Chris Odjomah