Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East envoy, met Hamas’s new leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday. In what is described as the first high-level contact between the two sides since a ceasefire agreement was reached last year.
A Palestinian official confirmed the talks to the BBC, saying the delegation in Cairo also included Board of Peace envoys Nickolay Mladenov and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, alongside representatives from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, all of whom have played mediating roles in the conflict. Kushner also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi separately during the visit. Reports indicate that Kushner, Mladenov, and Blair are scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in an effort to advance Trump’s stalled plan.
The meeting comes at a critical moment. Last week Netanyahu publicly rejected Trump’s 15-point Gaza peace document, stating that Israeli forces would not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas was “genuinely disarmed.” The position put Israel in direct defiance of its closest ally.
Eight Muslim nations responded on Sunday with a joint statement condemning the rejection, saying it threatened Trump’s broader efforts for peace. The signatories were Egypt, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia.
Trump’s 15-point plan, advanced through the Board of Peace, calls for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups. Alongside a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and the rebuilding of the territory under a new civilian Palestinian administration. Hamas has indicated its willingness to engage with the framework. Israel has not.
Existing Ceasefire
The ceasefire that came into effect on October 10 last year technically remains in place. However, Israel has conducted several strikes in Gaza since then. This includes recent hits on what the IDF described as terrorists in the Khan Yunis and Nuseirat areas. Israel has accused Hamas of violating the truce.
The numbers behind the diplomacy are staggering. Over 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military campaign following the Hamas-led attack on Israel. One which killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostage. The UN estimates that 1.9 million people, roughly 90 percent of Gaza’s population, have been displaced since the war began.
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