U.S. envoy Jared Kushner held a rare direct meeting with Hamas political bureau chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday, marking the first known face-to-face encounter between a senior Trump administration figure and the Palestinian group as diplomacy intensifies to break the deadlock on Gaza.
Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and special envoy, was one of a trio of American negotiators who met al-Hayya in Cairo, with officials from mediating nations Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey also present, according to the Associated Press. The meeting came ahead of Kushner’s planned talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Push for Trump’s Gaza Roadmap
The encounter focused on advancing Trump’s comprehensive Gaza peace plan, which Hamas accepted last month to prevent a resumption of full-scale war. Hamas officials said al-Hayya would brief mediators on what the group described as Israeli ceasefire violations. Al-Hayya subsequently called on the Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to accept the Gaza roadmap.
The peace plan envisions a phased process including Israeli force withdrawal, decommissioning of weapons, deployment of an international stabilization force, and transfer of administrative authority to a Palestinian National Committee for Gaza reconstruction. Eight Muslim-majority nations including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Türkiye, and Qatar issued a joint statement on Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection of the roadmap’s implementation plan.
Israel Pushes Back on Key Terms
Despite the diplomatic push, Israel has rejected critical elements of the roadmap, prompting sharp criticism from regional powers. The joint statement from the eight nations accused Israel of bearing “direct and full responsibility for any consequences resulting from its continued rejection” of the peace framework.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes resumed in Gaza over the weekend after a brief scaling-back earlier this month. The Israeli military confirmed strikes on Islamic Jihad and Hamas fighters in Khan Younis and Nuseirat, with Palestinian medics reporting at least five injuries in a strike that hit a tent encampment.
The conflict, which began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has killed more than 1,250 Palestinians since the October ceasefire, according to health authorities. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed by fighters in Gaza over the same period, the Israeli military said.
Sources: Associated Press; Al Jazeera; Asharq Al-Awsat; Los Angeles Times
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