Scoop: Tony Blair and Jared Kushner to brief Trump on Gaza post-war plans

Tony Blair and Jared Kushner will participate in a meeting on Gaza at the White House on Wednesday and present President Trump with ideas for a post-war plan, two sources with knowledge tell Axios. The meeting will also include a discussion of how to increase aid flows into Gaza, which is facing a famine.Why it matters: A "day-after" plan for Gaza will be a key component of any diplomatic initiative to end a war that has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians over two years of fighting. But rebuilding an enclave that is utterly destroyed and designing a political and security architecture that all sides can live with will be incredibly difficult. The former British prime minister and Trump's son-in-law and former adviser will discuss ideas for how Gaza can be governed without Hamas in power, the sources say.What they're saying: "President Trump has been clear that he wants the war to end, and he wants peace and prosperity for everyone in the region. The White House has nothing additional to share on the meeting at this time," a White House official said.Kushner and Blair didn't respond to requests for comment.Between the lines: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing pressure from protesters and Israel's military leadership to accept a ceasefire and hostage deal rather than pursuing his plan to expand the military operation. A post-war plan coordinated with the White House could give him political cover to accept a ceasefire while presenting it as a more comprehensive deal to remove Hamas from power.Driving the news: White House envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox news on Tuesday that Trump would hold "a large meeting" on Gaza on Wednesday. "It is a very comprehensive plan we are putting together on the next day (in Gaza) and many people are going to see how robust it is and how well meaning it is and it reflects President Trump's humanitarian motives here," Witkoff said. He said the White House thinks the war could end by the end of the year.Behind the scenes: Witkoff has been discussing a post-war plan for Gaza with Kushner and Blair for several months, the sources said. Blair met Witkoff at the White House in July on the same day Netanyahu met Trump, according to the sources.Several days later, Blair met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and briefed him on the day-after proposals for Gaza and his talks in Washington. Kushner was also in Israel earlier this month and met with Netanyahu to discuss Gaza.Blair is close with Netanyahu and his closest adviser Ron Dermer, who is in charge of Israel's post-war planning. Flashback: Blair, Dermer and Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed worked on a joint post-war plan for Gaza during the Biden administration.The Biden administration ended up incorporating aspects of it into a plan then-Secretary of State Tony Blinken presented publicly less than a week before leaving office. State of play: According to U.S. officials, Trump's Gaza meeting on Wednesday will also focus on a U.S. plan for humanitarian aid for Gaza."It's expanding the food plan, the quantity, the distribution method, the number of people that could be served," a U.S. official said. The U.S. official said Trump's instructions are: "Get this fixed." Behind the scenes: The Gaza crisis has been a secondary concern for Trump lately, behind the Russia-Ukraine war. But while he doesn't want to "own" the crisis, he's told aides it has to end."I can't watch it anymore. It's a terrible thing," Trump has told members of his team, according to the U.S. official. What to watch: Netanyahu has approved a plan for a new offensive to attack and occupy Gaza City. The operation has started slowly but is expected to escalate in the next two weeks as more Palestinian civilians leave the area. Trump isn't opposed to the operation and even gave Netanyahu backing for it."At some level, the president thinks that Bibi's going to do what Bibi's going to do," a U.S. official said. "So would you just hurry up and then we can get in there and take care of people?"Yes, but: A massive IDF operation in Gaza would take at least several months and lead to more deaths, more destruction, and more hunger for Palestinian civilians.

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