Axios: Trump to meet Arab, Muslim leaders to discuss Gaza war resolution

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet a select group of Arab and Muslim leaders on September 23 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, to discuss potential paths toward ending the war in Gaza, according to two Arab officials familiar with the plans.

The White House has already issued invitations to leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and Türkiye, sources told Axios. According to the sources, Washington wants these countries to play a role in a post-war stabilisation plan for Gaza — including the potential deployment of Arab or Muslim peacekeeping troops to replace the Israeli military presence in the enclave.

The high-level meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. ET (22:30 GMT+4), comes days before Trump is expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on September 29. It also coincides with growing international momentum for the recognition of a Palestinian state and escalating Israeli threats to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

Arab leaders are expected to use the meeting to urge Trump to pressure Netanyahu to halt the military campaign in Gaza and abandon plans to annex West Bank territory. 

One Arab official warned that Israeli annexation could jeopardise the Abraham Accords, the landmark normalisation agreements between Israel and several Arab states brokered during Trump’s first term. The UAE, in particular, has already conveyed to the White House that such a move could unravel its participation in the accords.

Sources also confirmed that Trump is planning a second, separate meeting on the same day with leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait. This session is expected to focus on regional security, with Gulf leaders voicing concern over a recent Israeli airstrike that targeted Hamas figures in Qatar, marking the first Israeli attack on Gulf soil.

Gulf officials are seeking guarantees from the Trump administration that such incidents will not be repeated, amid fears of further destabilisation in the region.

By Sabina Mammadli