Kushner Arrives in Israel to Bridge Gaps on Gaza Ceasefire Roadmap
SCMP · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
US negotiator and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday, launching a fresh diplomatic push to salvage the stalled Gaza ceasefire. Kushner is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as part of efforts to advance a 15-point US-backed roadmap that Netanyahu publicly rejected last week. The plan requires Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw from the war-shattered Palestinian enclave, where approximately 2 million people remain trapped more than 10 months after major military operations ended.
Key Points
- Kushner met with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt, with officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey also attending
- The 15-point roadmap requires Hamas to hand over weapons to a new Palestinian governing committee and Israel to begin phased withdrawal from Gaza
- Netanyahu publicly rejected the plan in a rare show of defiance against the Trump administration, Israel's closest ally
- Regional powers including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, and Pakistan issued a statement condemning Israel's rejection, saying "Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza"
- Kushner and Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza of the US-created Board of Peace, hope for "constructive conversations" on advancing Trump's peace plan
Why It Matters
The diplomatic offensive comes as Gaza faces ongoing humanitarian crisis with reconstruction stalled and Israeli strikes continuing despite the October 2025 ceasefire declaration. A Board of Peace official stated that "the United States and Israel agree on the end state, which is a demilitarised Hamas," but fundamental disagreements over sequencing — whether Israel must withdraw before or after complete disarmament — threaten to derail the peace process . Hamas insists it is abiding by the deal while calling on the US to "prevent the disruptor," indicating that regional stability and the fate of millions of civilians hang in the balance of these negotiations.
The diplomatic offensive comes as Gaza faces ongoing humanitarian crisis with reconstruction stalled and Israeli strikes continuing despite the October 2025 ceasefire declaration. A Board of Peace official stated that "the United States and Israel agree on the end state, which is a demilitarised Hamas," but fundamental disagreements over sequencing — whether Israel must withdraw before or after complete disarmament — threaten to derail the peace process . Hamas insists it is abiding by the deal while calling on the US to "prevent the disruptor," indicating that regional stability and the fate of millions of civilians hang in the balance of these negotiations.