Trump engages Muslim leaders, including PM Shehbaz, on Gaza, Israel withdrawal

• Trump hails meeting Muslim leaders and praises their efforts.
• Proposes Israeli withdrawal and Gaza rule without Hamas.
• US seeks Arab troops and funds for Gaza’s rebuilding.

US President Donald Trump’s meeting with leaders of Muslim-majority nations, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly focused on the situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East.

Participants included Turkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt, the UAE and Jordan.

The 50-minute meeting saw Trump call it an honour to meet Islamic leaders and praise their efforts, saying, “You all have done an excellent job, which is commendable.” 

The Turkish President described the talks as extremely productive. None of the other Muslim leaders spoke to the media after the meeting.

Trump described the meeting as extremely important and spoke to the media about ending the Gaza war, saying it could possibly be concluded soon. He added, “We are going to end something that we did not start.”

He also outlined US plans for an Israeli withdrawal and post-war governance in Gaza without Hamas involvement, according to US media. 

Washington is seeking Arab and Muslim nations’ agreement to send troops to Gaza to enable Israel’s withdrawal and to fund transition and rebuilding programmes, Axios reported.

As per Al-Jazeera, the Gaza plan was reportedly not drafted by Israel, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been made aware of the details. It is believed to envisage some future involvement by the Palestinian Authority (PA), something Israel has repeatedly said it will not tolerate.

Israel faces global condemnation over its military conduct in Gaza, where local health authorities say more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed. 

In recent weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has begun a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City, with no ceasefire in sight.

But Washington remains Israel's staunchest ally.

The US and Israel boycotted a summit in New York on Monday convened by France and Saudi Arabia, where dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations to embrace a Palestinian state.

No matter how many countries recognise Palestinian independence, full UN membership would require approval by the Security Council, where the United States has a veto that it frequently uses to oppose resolutions that are critical of Israel.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres backed the moves for recognition while speaking at the Security Council later on Tuesday.

"This is the clearest path to a two-State solution: Israel and an independent, sovereign, democratic, viable and contiguous State of Palestine," he said. "We must seize this momentum."