Trump Meets Arab and Muslim Leaders in Push to End Gaza War

by Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald Trump met Tuesday with leaders from across the Arab and Muslim world on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, calling the talks his “most important meeting” as he sought to rally support for ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

“We want to end the war in Gaza. We’re going to end it. Maybe we can end it right now,” Trump said at the opening of the gathering. “This is my most important meeting… because we’re going to end something that should have probably never started.”

Leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan attended the sit-down. Trump noted that “all of the big players” were represented, adding that a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would follow at the White House next week.

Trump praised Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s UN speech earlier in the day, in which he underscored that peace must guarantee Israel’s security.

While Trump avoided public comment after the meeting, his envoy Steve Witkoff flashed a thumbs-up to reporters, suggesting optimism about the talks. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seated beside Trump at the start of the meeting, later described the discussion as “very fruitful” and promised a joint declaration would be released. Emirati state media reported that the agenda centered on securing a ceasefire, releasing hostages, and alleviating Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis.

The meeting came just hours after several Muslim-majority nations—Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, and Indonesia—used their UN podium speeches to accuse Israel of genocide and obstruction. Qatar went further, denouncing Israel’s military actions as “terrorism” following a strike on Hamas officials in Doha.

Trump, meanwhile, sought to balance his outreach to Muslim leaders with an assurance of his continued support for Israel. In remarks alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently joined a Franco-Saudi initiative recognizing a Palestinian state, Trump stressed: “I’m on the side of Israel. I’ve been on the side of Israel really my whole life, and we’re going to get a solution that’s good for everybody.”

Macron countered that while October 7 “cannot be forgotten,” Israel’s military strategy had not dismantled Hamas. “After almost two years of war, what is the result?… This is not the right way to proceed. So we need a full-fledged process.”

The White House is expected to unveil its broader post-war vision for Gaza in the coming weeks, a framework reportedly shaped with input from former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

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