Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, played a pivotal role in a White House meeting convened by President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss a post-war governance plan for Gaza, Barak Ravid of Axios reported on Thursday.
According to sources with direct knowledge of the meeting, which included senior figures such as Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Dermer made clear to the assembled officials that Israel does not intend to occupy Gaza permanently, nor does it seek to expel the Palestinian Arab population - despite proposals from some within the Israeli government advocating such measures.
Instead, Dermer emphasized that Israel is seeking a viable alternative to Hamas to govern the territory.
“Dermer's message was: As long as our conditions are met, we will be flexible about everything else,” one source told Axios.
Dermer was in Washington to present Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff with Israel’s operational plan to take over Gaza City and implement a humanitarian surge during the military operation. President Trump reportedly asked for Dermer’s input toward the end of the meeting, wanting to understand Israel’s needs and red lines in a “day-after” scenario.
Kushner and Blair, who had previously discussed ideas with Witkoff and other officials, used the meeting to present their vision for Gaza’s future governance and economic reconstruction. “They tried to give an idea of how Gaza could be governed and how you create an environment for investment so that reconstruction can happen,” a source said. “The goal was to run the ideas by Trump to see if he likes them and want to move forward, so that Witkoff and Rubio can use them.”
President Trump gave his blessing for Kushner and Blair to continue developing the plan, though no concrete decisions were made. The central challenge remains unresolved: identifying a governing body that could replace Hamas and meet the security and political requirements of all parties involved.
Sources familiar with Kushner’s and Blair’s work noted that their planning process is still underway, and a detailed proposal has yet to be finalized. Crucially, they have not settled on who would govern Gaza or ensure its security.
“The goal is for the US to lead the effort to find an internationally accepted governance structure in Gaza that will allow Israel to pull out without deteriorating back to the old reality again from a security standpoint,” one source said.