US envoy Witkoff to meet Qatari PM in Spain to discuss plan to end Gaza war

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will meet Qatar’s prime minister on Saturday in Spain to discuss a plan to end the war in Gaza and release hostages, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said on X.

Under international criticism, the Israeli army on Saturday prepared to take control of Gaza City, the largest city in the Palestinian territory, in order to “defeat” Hamas and secure the release of hostages.

After 22 months of war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces intense pressure both in Israel and abroad to end his offensive in the Gaza Strip, where more than 2 million Palestinians are threatened with “widespread famine,” according to the United Nations.

Under a plan approved by Israel’s security cabinet, the army “is preparing to take control of Gaza City,” a largely destroyed urban area in the north of the territory, “while distributing humanitarian aid to civilians outside combat zones.”