Kushner meets Hamas political chief ahead of Netanyahu talks on Gaza
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare over two-hour meeting with Hamas political chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday, seeking to revive the stalled Gaza ceasefire plan. He is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, who has rejected the US-backed 15-point road map.
The Egypt meeting also included another US envoy and officials from mediating nations Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, according to a regional official and a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Afterward, Hamas issued a statement urging mediators and the US-created Board of Peace to "compel" Israel to approve the road map.
Netanyahu last week publicly rejected the 15-point plan, which calls for Hamas to disarm in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. On Monday he is scheduled to meet with Kushner, former British prime minister Tony Blair, and Board of Peace director Nickolay Mladenov.
A Hamas official said the group is ready to begin a 14-day negotiation period to set an implementation timetable, but first wants Israel to halt its attacks and pull back to the so-called "yellow line," which has never been precisely defined. Israeli forces currently control about 60% of Gaza, and Netanyahu said in May the goal is to expand that to 70%.
Since the ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025, Israel has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded over 4,100, according to Gaza's health ministry.
Several regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia, issued a joint statement saying Israel bears responsibility for obstructing peace efforts. Netanyahu's Likud party responded by claiming Arab states want to topple him.
At the core of the dispute is the handover of Hamas's heaviest weapons, which the group has linked to the creation of a Palestinian state — something rejected by Israel's current government. Until that issue is resolved, other elements of the ceasefire, including reconstruction and deployment of international forces, remain on hold. Netanyahu faces a difficult election on 27 October, with his coalition including ministers who favor a hard line on Gaza.
