Donald Trump to Meet with Muslim-Majority Leaders on Gaza Reconstruction
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with leaders and officials from several Muslim-majority countries on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, to discuss the situation in Gaza. The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Multilateral Meeting and Peace Proposal
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump will hold a multilateral meeting with representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan. Discussions are expected to center on the post-war reconstruction in Gaza.
Trump is expected to present a proposal for peace and post-war governance in Gaza to the assembled leaders, according to reports from Axios. The proposal will likely address the release of hostages, the end of the ongoing conflict, and the future governance of Gaza without the involvement of Hamas.
US Plans for Israeli Withdrawal and Post-War Governance
Washington reportedly hopes that Arab and Muslim countries will agree to deploy military forces to Gaza to facilitate Israel's withdrawal and provide funding for transitional governance and reconstruction programs. This initiative is part of a broader effort to stabilize the region and address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
UN General Assembly Address and Palestinian Statehood
Trump is also scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. His address comes a day after numerous world leaders gathered at the UN to voice support for Palestinian statehood, a move that signifies a diplomatic shift despite opposition from Israel and the United States.
While many nations affirm that a two-state solution is the only path to achieving lasting peace, Israel maintains that recognizing a Palestinian state would reward extremism.
The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
Since October 2023, Israel's military actions in Gaza have resulted in tens of thousands of fatalities, the internal displacement of Gaza's entire population, and a severe famine. Numerous human rights experts, scholars, and UN investigators have characterized these actions as potential acts of genocide.
Israel asserts that its operations are acts of self-defense following an attack by Hamas militants in October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the capture of more than 250 hostages. Israel has also conducted strikes in Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Qatar during the conflict.
Trump's Past Promises and Controversial Proposals
Trump had previously promised to quickly end the war in Gaza, but a resolution remains elusive. His presidency began with a two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which collapsed after an Israeli strike killed 400 Palestinians on March 18.
Earlier in February, Trump proposed a plan for a U.S.-led takeover of Gaza and the permanent displacement of its Palestinian residents, a proposal that was widely condemned as "ethnic cleansing" by UN officials and human rights experts. Forced displacement is illegal under international law, but Trump defended the plan as a reconstruction vision.
