Kushner, Netanyahu agree on Gaza deconfliction mechanism

Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged from a four-hour meeting in Jerusalem on Monday with an agreement to establish a deconfliction mechanism for assessing emerging Hamas threats in Gaza, along with two working groups focused on demilitarization and humanitarian needs, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.

A Path Forward on Disarmament

The meeting, which followed Kushner's rare two-hour session with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday, produced what a Board of Peace official described as a "lengthy, in depth, and very productive" discussion, adding that "the Israelis are going to give this a chance. Now it's up to Hamas to show if it truly intends to comply."axios

Under the deconfliction mechanism, if Israel identifies an emerging threat from Hamas, it would report it to the mechanism rather than acting unilaterally. "This way Hamas will know we are watching them," a U.S. official told Axios. The two sides also agreed that no redeployment or reconstruction would take place before Hamas is fully disarmed throughout Gaza, a senior Israeli official told AFP.anews+1

On the disarmament process itself, Kushner outlined a sequence: Hamas would hand over weapons to a Palestinian technocratic government, which would transfer them to the International Stabilization Force for destruction. A senior Israeli official said both sides agreed that "the first step toward the demilitarisation of the Strip would be to require Hamas to hand over its weapons for decommissioning under the supervision of an American general." The force is led by U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers.anews

Gaps Remain Amid Political Headwinds

Despite the agreements, the meeting also "crystallized the remaining differences," according to Axios, particularly around the definition of "imminent threats" that would justify Israeli military action. During the meeting, President Trump told Fox News ↗ 0.13% that he wants Israel to stop airstrikes in Gaza, with a Board of Peace official clarifying that Trump was referring to strikes not directed at imminent threats.axios

Netanyahu brought Shin Bet chief David Zini and military intelligence head Shlomi Binder to brief Kushner on alleged Hamas violations, and showed Kushner two polls — one showing most Israelis oppose reconstruction before demilitarization, another showing majority support for continued strikes against imminent threats.timesofisrael+1

The political backdrop looms large. Netanyahu faces an October 27 election with his coalition trailing in polls, and has grown increasingly willing to defy Washington. He publicly rejected Trump's 15-point Gaza roadmap on August 9, even as Hamas endorsed it in late July.bbc+1

Kushner Defends Hamas Engagement

When Netanyahu pressed Kushner on why he met senior Hamas officials, Kushner responded that he wanted to hear their commitment to disarmament "face-to-face," according to a U.S. official. He reminded Netanyahu that his last in-person meeting with Hamas officials, alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff, produced the October 2025 hostage release deal.timesofisrael+1

"The gaps with the Israelis are not that great. None of us is relying on trusting Hamas," the U.S. official said. "But we think we can start doing some tangible steps."axios