Kushner meets Netanyahu to push Gaza plan after rare Hamas talks

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and Middle East envoy, sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday to press for advancement of a 15-point U.S.-backed Gaza peace roadmap that Netanyahu has publicly rejected.reuters+1

Kushner was joined by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace Director-General Nickolay Mladenov, according to the Times of Israel, which reported the meeting had begun at Netanyahu's office. The session follows Kushner's rare two-hour meeting Sunday with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian city of El-Alamein, confirmed by a regional official and a Hamas official speaking on condition of anonymity.timesofisrael+2

Deadlock Over Disarmament Sequence

The core dispute centers on sequencing. Under the roadmap announced July 30, Hamas would gradually hand over weapons to a Palestinian technocratic committee while Israeli forces halt attacks and begin withdrawing from Gaza. Hamas has accepted the plan but insists Israel must first meet its own commitments, including pulling back to the so-called "yellow line" and stopping strikes.washingtonpost+1

Netanyahu has taken the opposite position, declaring last week that "the IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed" and demanding the group surrender "heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry." Israeli forces currently control about 60 percent of the Gaza Strip.npr+2

A Times of Israel official downplayed the rift, saying Monday's meeting was focused on "moving forward on all the elements that we can" rather than seeking Israel's formal signature on the plan.timesofisrael

Regional Pressure Mounts

Ahead of Monday's talks, eight countries — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey — issued a joint statement condemning Israel's rejection of the roadmap, saying "Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza."yahoo+1

The foreign ministers called on the Board of Peace and the United States to take "immediate and concrete measures" to prevent any party from blocking implementation. Netanyahu's Likud party responded by claiming "Arab states want to topple" the prime minister so his political rivals "will give them everything they want."npr

High Stakes Amid Election Pressure

At stake are the lives of approximately 2 million Palestinians in Gaza and the reconstruction of an enclave largely reduced to rubble. At least 1,262 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect in October 2025, according to Gaza's health ministry.aljazeera+1

Netanyahu faces re-election on October 27 with a coalition that includes hardline ministers opposed to concessions on Gaza, making decisive steps on the ceasefire uncertain before then.news4jax+1