Trump envoy Kushner meets Hamas leader to push Gaza peace plan

Kushner Holds Rare Talks With Hamas Leadership in Egypt

Ninoda.com – Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East envoy, sat down with a Hamas delegation headed by the movement’s newly appointed chief Khalil al-Hayya on Sunday in Egypt. The encounter marks the first high-level contact between the two sides since last year’s ceasefire deal took hold for the Gaza Strip.

According to a Palestinian official speaking to the BBC, the discussions centered on practical steps to decommission Hamas’s arsenal, pull Israeli forces out of the territory, and advance humanitarian operations. No formal communiqué was issued afterward.

Board of Peace Envoys and Regional Mediators in the Room

The gathering was not limited to Kushner and al-Hayya. Board of Peace representatives Nickolay Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair were present, as were officials from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey — three nations that have played mediating roles throughout the peace process.

While in Cairo, Kushner also held a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the same day. Israeli media reported that Kushner, Mladenov, and Blair are scheduled to sit down with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to press forward on Trump’s agenda.

Israel’s Rejection of the 15-Point Framework

The talks come against the backdrop of a sharp diplomatic rupture. Last week, Israel turned down the Board of Peace’s 15-point document, which envisions full disarmament of Hamas and other armed factions, an Israeli military withdrawal, and reconstruction of Gaza under a fresh civilian Palestinian authority.

“Israel rejects the Board of Peace’s 15-point document on Gaza. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed,” Netanyahu said last week defying Israel’s closest ally.

The prime minister has insisted that complete Hamas disarmament must precede any implementation of the deal — a stance that puts him at odds with Washington.

Eight Muslim Nations Condemn Israel’s Stance

On Sunday, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia issued a joint statement declaring that Israel’s refusal to accept the US plan jeopardizes Trump’s broader peace initiative.

The Board of Peace: Scope and Leadership

Trump personally heads the Board of Peace, an international body originally chartered to broker stability in Gaza but subsequently broadened to encompass conflicts around the globe. Last month the board announced it had secured agreement on the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups operating in the territory.

A War That Has Reshaped Gaza

The conflict was ignited by a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed roughly 1,200 people and saw 251 others seized as hostages. Israel answered with a sweeping military campaign across Gaza.

More than 73,000 people have been killed in the territory since then, according to Gaza’s health ministry — figures the United Nations regards as reliable. The UN further estimates that approximately 1.9 million residents, representing around 90 percent of Gaza’s population, have been displaced since the war began.

The ceasefire that took effect on 10 October last year technically remains in force, yet Israeli forces have carried out multiple strikes in the interim — most recently targeting what they described as “terrorists” in the Khan Yunis and Nuseirat areas — while accusing Hamas of violating the truce.