US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, announced Saturday that representatives from the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey met Friday in Miami to discuss the next steps in the Gaza plan.
Witkoff wrote, "We expressed support for the swift establishment and activation of the Peace Council as a transitional administration to address civilian needs, security, and reconstruction. We reviewed the upcoming steps in the phased implementation of the comprehensive peace plan for Gaza, emphasizing the importance of timing, coordination, and effective monitoring in collaboration with local Palestinian institutions and international partners."
Witkoff also called on all parties "to uphold their commitments, exercise restraint, and cooperate with the ceasefire monitoring mechanism." He added that further consultations would be held in the coming weeks to "advance the implementation of the second phase."
The statement followed a summit held Friday in Miami, attended by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. It marked the first meeting between the four senior officials since the ceasefire deal was signed in October.
The summit took place amid speculation the potential meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, where they are expected to discuss, among other topics, the ceasefire deal in Gaza. Under the second phase of the plan, the Israel Defense Forces will continue withdrawing from additional locations in the Gaza Strip, and an international stabilization force is expected to enter the territory.
Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan said Thursday on Turkish television that Ankara intends to take part in the international stabilization force. Despite Israeli objections to the deployment of Turkish troops in the Strip, Fidan said Israel "is not the only relevant actor" on the matter.
