Kushner meets Hamas chief in bid to revive Gaza ceasefire roadmap
US envoy Jared Kushner met Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt to push a 15-point disarmament and withdrawal roadmap ahead of talks with Israel's PM.
US Middle East envoy Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday, part of a renewed diplomatic push to salvage a stalled ceasefire roadmap for Gaza. The meeting, attended by officials from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, comes ahead of a scheduled Monday meeting between Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The talks centre on a 15-point, US-backed plan that would see Hamas gradually disarm while Israeli forces withdraw from the Palestinian territory. The roadmap also envisions a Palestinian technocratic committee taking over daily governance in Gaza, with reconstruction and deployment of international forces as later phases.
Netanyahu publicly rejected the plan last week, a rare show of defiance against Washington, Israel's closest ally. Several regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, and Pakistan, issued a joint statement condemning Israel's rejection, saying it now bears responsibility for obstructing peace efforts.
A Hamas official said the group remains committed to the roadmap and is awaiting mediators to begin a 14-day negotiation period to set an implementation timetable. The official added that al-Hayya demanded Israel halt attacks and withdraw to the so-called "yellow line" dividing the territory before implementation begins. That line was never precisely defined, and Israeli forces currently control about 60% of Gaza.
Kushner's meeting with Hamas aimed to secure the group's commitment to disarmament before his talks with Netanyahu. The White House referred questions to the Board of Peace, which did not immediately comment. The roadmap's success hinges on bridging the gap between Hamas's demand for a Palestinian state and Israel's insistence on complete disarmament before any withdrawal.