Overview

• Trump led a roughly 90‑minute Oval Office session on Wednesday focused on Gaza’s future governance, humanitarian access, and the hostage crisis, according to multiple reports citing a White House official.
• Envoy Steve Witkoff said the team is crafting a “very comprehensive” plan, while Trump’s earlier idea for U.S. control and population relocation drew broad rejection and a UN warning about the risk of ethnic cleansing.
• The Israeli military escalated operations on the outskirts of Gaza City and called evacuation there “inevitable,” saying forces are targeting surface and underground Hamas infrastructure.
• Netanyahu is advancing a plan to seize Gaza City and, over time, establish a “non‑Israeli peaceful civilian administration,” as mass protests in Israel press for a hostage deal and mediators promote a 60‑day truce accepted by Hamas but not answered by Israel.
• Conflict tolls cited by officials and the UN include 1,219 people killed in Israel on Oct. 7, at least 62,819 deaths in Gaza, and 49 hostages still held with at least 27 confirmed dead, according to Israeli data.