US says 21-point Trump peace plan for Gaza could provide breakthrough in days

Trump’s 21-point peace plan

“We had a very productive session. We presented what we call the Trump 21-point plan for peace in the Mideast and Gaza. I think it addresses Israeli concerns and, as well, the concerns of all the neighbors in the region,” Witkoff said.

According to Witkoff, he is confident of “some sort of breakthrough” in the coming days.

“We’re hopeful, and I might say, even confident that in the coming days we’ll be able to announce some sort of breakthrough,” he said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also offered optimistic views about the Trump 21-point plan for peace.

Speaking to senior officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council, Rubio said, “some very important work is ongoing even as we speak, and we’re hoping to achieve this as soon as possible.”

Trump met leaders of Muslim nations

Earlier, on Tuesday, Trump met leaders and officials from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, to discuss the nearly two-year-long war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.

Trump is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday.

More than 65,000 people, also mostly civilians, have lost their lives in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when the Jewish state unleashed an unprecedented assault on the Palestinian territory in retaliation for the Hamas terror attack that killed 1,200 people.

Israel pushes ahead in Gaza City

Comments by the top US officials about a possible breakthrough come even as Israeli forces pushed towards the heart of Gaza City on Wednesday, despite repeated calls for it to pull back.

Medics said at least 50 people were killed across Gaza on Wednesday, mostly in Gaza City, where Israeli airstrikes hit a shelter housing displaced families near a market in the middle of the city. Two others were killed in a house nearby, they said.

The Israeli military said the strike had targeted two Hamas militants and that its forces tried to reduce harm to civilians.

Israeli forces began closing in on the city of more than a million in August, with Israel saying it aimed to destroy the last stronghold of Hamas.

As Israel pushed through with its offensive, Hamas’ armed wing has warned that an expansion of its operation in Gaza City would put Israeli hostages at risk. A total of 48 hostages are still in Hamas captivity, out of which 20 are believed to be alive.