U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, held rare talks with Hamas leaders on implementing the U.S.-backed Gaza peace plan. Following the talks in Egypt, Kushner traveled to Israel, where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A Palestinian official told the BBC that Kushner met in Egypt with a Hamas delegation led by the group’s new leader, Khalil al-Hayya. The talks took place on Sunday.
Hamas later said it had asked the mediators and Trump’s Board of Peace to “pressure” Israel to accept the plan for implementing the agreement.
The talks between Kushner and al-Hayya were described as the highest-level discussions since the Gaza ceasefire agreement was reached earlier this year. Representatives of Trump’s Board of Peace, including Nikolay Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as officials from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, which have played a role in mediation, also took part.
No detailed statement was issued on what was discussed, but reports said the talks focused on practical steps to disarm Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and humanitarian assistance for civilians.
Last month, Trump’s Board of Peace announced that it had reached an understanding on the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.
However, Israel rejected Trump’s 15-point plan, which also calls for Israeli forces to withdraw from Gaza and for a new civilian administration made up of Palestinians to be established.
Netanyahu said Israeli forces would not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas had been “truly disarmed.”
