Gaza deal: What happened in Hamas-Jared Kushner meeting? Trump’s son-in-law to meet Netanyahu next
Kushner Heads to Netanyahu After Rare Hamas Talks in Egypt
Theindiapostdaily.com – US envoy Jared Kushner — Donald Trump's son-in-law — is set to travel to Israel on Monday for a sit-down with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The purpose of that meeting, according to sources speaking to Axios, is to press the Israeli government on the "corresponding steps" it must take under the US-brokered ceasefire framework.
The trip follows a Sunday encounter in El-Alamein, a Mediterranean city in Egypt, where Kushner sat down with Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's newly installed leader. Sources briefed AFP confirmed the talks were designed to pull the stalled US-backed Gaza peace plan back into motion — a plan Israel has, to date, declined to accept in full.
A Second Direct Contact with Hamas
This was not Kushner's first face-to-face with the Palestinian militant organization. In October 2025, he had already met Hamas officials alongside fellow US envoy Steve Witkoff. The El-Alamein session marked his second known direct engagement with representatives of a group the United States formally designates as a terrorist movement — the same group that carried out the October 7, 2023 assault on Israel, an event that ignited the Gaza war.
The timing of the talks coincided with intensified pressure from both the White House and Trump's Board of Peace, which have been urging both sides to advance into the next stage of the US 20-point peace architecture.
Hamas Conditions and Demands
Hamas reiterated its commitment to the Trump Gaza plan, one source told AFP, but attached a clear precondition: implementation would hinge on Israel first honoring its own obligations, specifically withdrawing forces and ceasing attacks inside Gaza. The group also signaled agreement on the roadmap governing the ceasefire's second phase.
In a formal statement, Hamas directed Trump's Board of Peace and the mediating nations to take three specific actions:
"Compel the occupation [Israel] to implement all its obligations under the first phase, end all violations, halt killings and incursions"
"Approve the roadmap for the second phase"
and to establish a concrete timetable for carrying out that phase.
The group also charged Israel with failing to execute the first phase of the ceasefire accord and urged mediators and the Board of Peace to apply pressure on Jerusalem to fulfill its duties.
The Disarmament Threshold
An Arab diplomat, speaking to The Times of Israel, relayed that Hamas officials told Kushner they would commence implementing the Board of Peace's disarmament plan only after Netanyahu made a public commitment to abide by its terms.
A statement carried by Palestine's Shehab news agency and distributed by IRNA framed Hamas's approval as rooted in the interests of the Palestinian people, their aspiration for a lasting ceasefire, and the guarantee of a full Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Axios, citing unnamed sources, reported that Hamas leaders reaffirmed their willingness to disarm and demilitarize Gaza during the Sunday meeting in Egypt. At the same time, those leaders voiced frustration over ongoing Israeli military conduct in the enclave, including continued airstrikes.
Kushner's Message to Hamas
In return, Kushner conveyed a firm position: Hamas must take concrete, verifiable steps toward disarmament before expecting Israel to reciprocate. Those reciprocal steps would encompass handing governing authority to the Palestinian technocratic government and ensuring Hamas plays no role in Gaza's future administration.
"Kushner stressed to Hamas leaders that the bar is high because the Israeli side doesn't trust them to actually disarm."
"Kushner told them there is no room for negotiations on the disarmament, but if they show real steps the US will do its best to make sure Israel takes steps of its own."
Hamas leaders, per Axios, assured the envoy they were prepared to cede governance to the technocratic body and would refrain from interference once it began functioning in the enclave.
What Comes Next
The Board of Peace is pressing Hamas to start decommissioning its weapons stockpile and military infrastructure. Should Hamas initiate that process, Israel's corresponding obligations would include permitting the International Stabilisation Force to deploy across Gaza, opening the door to reconstruction work in the Rafah area, and entering discussions on initial Israeli troop pullbacks. The board is simultaneously urging Israel to speed up the flow of humanitarian aid into the strip.
All of that hangs on the outcome of Kushner's Monday meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
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