US Administration to Continue Ceasefire and Stabilize the Gaza Strip to Advance Plans for the Middle East, According to a Recent Interview with the US Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, reported by Axios.
The US government is working to finalize the first phase of the agreement between Israel and Hamas for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a ceasefire. The White House, however, is already thinking about the next phases of the agreement and a plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which was devastated during the 15-month war caused by Israeli airstrikes and ground operations.
Witkoff, the US Envoy to the Middle East, stated in the Axios interview at the end of his trip to the region that the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip could take between 10 and 15 years.
The Envoy spent most of his day in the Gaza Strip, inspecting the situation from the ground and the air, marking the first visit of a US official to the region in 15 years.
Witkoff, a real estate developer, estimates that the removal of debris alone could take five years and the assessment of the potential impact of the numerous tunnels under the Gaza Strip on the construction of new foundations could take further years. The reconstruction itself would also take several years.
President Trump has brought up the idea of relocating Palestinian civilians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt and Jordan while the enclave is being rebuilt. Both countries publicly rejected the idea, stating they would not be involved in the relocation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Witkoff told Axios that he had not discussed the idea of relocating Palestinians with Trump. After seeing the situation firsthand, he described the Gaza Strip as “uninhabitable”.
Before meeting with Israeli officials, Witkoff met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) in Riyadh on Tuesday. “I had a very good meeting with the Crown Prince. He thought we were making progress with the ceasefire and the release of hostages” Witkoff said. The Trump advisor also stated that they had a general discussion about the normalization of relations with Israel, “but we did not delve into it. We hope that this will happen at a later time”.
Witkoff confirmed that he met with the Deputy of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Hussein al-Sheikh, in Riyadh at the request of the Saudi government.