Kushner meets Hamas delegation in Egypt as US-backed Gaza plan faces Israeli rejection

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Jared Kushner met a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt to discuss implementing the US-backed Gaza peace plan, Palestinian and media sources reported on Sunday. The talks focused on steps toward the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and humanitarian measures, according to accounts of the meeting.

Those present reportedly included Board of Peace envoys Nickolai Mladenov and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, alongside representatives from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, which have mediated in the peace efforts. No official public statement has been released about concrete agreements from the talks.

Later on the same day, Kushner met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Israeli media reported Kushner, Mladenov and Blair planned to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the aim of advancing the US proposal. Netanyahu has said Israel would not implement withdrawals until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and rejected the Board of Peace’s 15-point Gaza document last week.

The ceasefire that took effect on 10 October remains in place, though the Israel Defense Forces have carried out strikes in Gaza since then, citing violations by Hamas. The conflict began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to the source material.

Gaza health ministry figures cited in the reports state that more than 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s military campaign, and the UN estimates about 1.9 million people—around 90% of Gaza’s population—have been displaced since the war began.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The meeting marks a high-level engagement between Kushner and Hamas representatives aimed at implementing the US-backed peace plan’s key provisions, notably disarmament, withdrawal of Israeli forces and steps for humanitarian relief. Participation of Board of Peace envoys and regional mediators indicates a coordinated diplomatic effort, while Israel’s formal rejection of the 15-point document remains a central obstacle reported in the source material.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• Kushner met a Hamas delegation in Egypt to discuss implementing the US-backed Gaza peace plan.
• Meeting reportedly included envoys Nickolai Mladenov, Tony Blair and representatives from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
• Israel rejected the Board of Peace’s 15-point Gaza document and conditions disarmament before any withdrawal.