Kushner meets Hamas leaders in Egypt to push Trump’s Gaza plan

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkDisplaced Palestinians gather along on the beachfront in Gaza City [File: Eyad Baba/AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and ReutersPublished On 16 Aug 202616 Aug 2026Hamas leaders have met in Egypt with US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, who is seeking to push a Gaza plan rejected by Israel.Hamas reiterated its commitment in the meeting on Sunday to the deal while Kushner pushed for disarmament and an end to any future Hamas role in running Gaza, diplomatic sources told the AFP news agency, speaking on condition of anonymity.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Kushner to visit Israel after Netanyahu rejects Gaza Board of Peace planlist 2 of 4Ben-Gvir calls for nightly killings of Palestinians in Gazalist 3 of 4Hamas leader heads to Cairo for Gaza talks ahead of Kushner visitlist 4 of 4Doctor describes amputating girl’s leg in Gaza without anaesthesiaend of listKushner’s trip to Israel and Egypt is an effort to narrow differences over Trump’s latest roadmap for Gaza, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week was “unacceptable”.Trump’s so-called Board of Peace high representative Nickolay Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is also a member of the board, joined Kushner in the meeting, Axios reported.Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya attended alongside Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, Qatari diplomat Ali Al Thawadi and a senior Turkish official, the US outlet stated.A source told Axios that the objective of the meeting was “translating” Hamas’s disarmament “into concrete, verifiable steps”.Hamas, meanwhile, voiced its commitment to the agreement, another source with knowledge of the talks told AFP.Hamas and the US envoy have yet to confirm that the meeting took place.The United States has, for years, refused contact with Hamas, which it classifies as a “terrorist organisation”. But the Trump administration has increasingly been comfortable with direct contact in hopes of ending the conflict.Earlier, al-Hayya met with Rashad, Reuters reported, while Kushner had earlier met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, said el-Sisi’s office.A senior Israeli official, meanwhile, said that Kushner and Mladenov were scheduled to meet on Monday with Netanyahu. Israeli strikes continueThe Israeli official said that Israel was concerned about Washington’s demand to end targeted assassinations of Hamas fighters in Gaza.Trump’s peace plan calls for the immediate cessation of military operations in Gaza. It foresees Hamas disarming as Israeli troops withdraw from the enclave and Gaza is rebuilt under a new civilian Palestinian administration.After scaling back its attacks in the besieged enclave earlier this month, Israel has resumed its air strikes in the past few days despite an October 2025 “ceasefire”.At least five Palestinians were injured on Sunday after an Israeli strike hit a tent encampment in Khan Younis, medics said.A separate air strike hit an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, wounding several people, medics said.Trump announced last month that there had been a breakthrough in his plan to end the war, to which both Israel and Hamas had agreed.Hamas said it had agreed to the plan to avoid a resumption of the war, but added that implementation of the deal would depend on Israel first meeting its own commitments, including withdrawing its forces and halting attacks.More than 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli fire since the “ceasefire” took effect, according to Palestinian official sources, with the overall death toll since October 2023 exceeding 73,300.