Kushner to Meet Hamas Leadership in Egypt as Trump Pushes Gaza Peace Plan
Trump envoy to hold talks with Hamas officials alongside Egyptian and Qatari mediators before traveling to Israel for a meeting with Netanyahu
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner is expected to meet with Hamas leadership in Egypt as he seeks to advance Washington’s plan for ending the Gaza conflict, Hamas sources told AFP on Sunday.
“Mediators informed Hamas that US envoy Jared Kushner will hold a meeting with the Hamas leadership, in the presence of Egyptian and Qatari officials, before Kushner travels to Israel to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” one Hamas source said, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the diplomacy.
Kushner, who has been involved in Trump’s efforts to advance the next phase of the Gaza peace plan, met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the Mediterranean city of El-Alamein on Sunday, hours after Hamas leader Khalil El-Hayya held talks with Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad.
Kushner and El-Hayya held separate discussions on implementing Trump’s post-war plan for Gaza, which has remained largely stalled since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was declared last October.
The ceasefire has reduced the intensity of fighting but has not completely halted Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.
The latest roadmap for the next phase of the US-backed plan addresses two of the most contentious issues: Hamas’s disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Kushner’s meeting with Sisi “emphasized the need for all parties to fulfill their obligations under the Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement,” Egyptian presidential spokesperson Mohamed El-Shennawy said.
Kushner is expected to travel to Israel next, where he is due to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel has publicly rejected the 15-point roadmap, despite Hamas having agreed to it.
During their meeting with Egyptian intelligence chief Rashad, the Hamas delegation “reaffirmed commitment to completing US President Donald Trump’s plan,” according to a Hamas statement cited by AFP.
Hamas said in late July that it was prepared to hand over its weapons to a Palestinian technical committee that would govern Gaza under the proposed roadmap, which was announced by Trump’s Board of Peace.
Netanyahu, however, has rejected the proposal, insisting that Israeli forces will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed.
A Hamas official told AFP that the Cairo talks would address “the latest developments in the negotiations and the efforts being made to compel Israel to abide by the agreement,” including the 15-point roadmap and its implementation.
The official said the Hamas delegation would brief Egyptian officials on alleged Israeli violations of the ceasefire and that El-Hayya would reiterate Hamas’s “commitment and readiness” to implement the agreement once Israel also commits to it.
Another Hamas source told AFP that arrangements were underway for talks involving the Hamas delegation, Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, and US officials during Kushner’s visit to Egypt.
The discussions are expected to focus on obstacles preventing implementation of the agreement, while Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators continue contacts aimed at persuading Israel to comply with the proposed framework.