US envoy Kushner meets Hamas chief in fresh Gaza ceasefire push
United States negotiator Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday, in a renewed diplomatic effort to advance the stalled Gaza ceasefire, according to regional and Hamas officials.
Mr. Kushner, who is also President Donald Trump's son-in-law, is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. The Israeli leader has come under pressure after rejecting a new 15-point, U.S.-backed road map for Gaza.
The talks aim to salvage a plan that would require Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territory.
At stake are the lives of around two million people in Gaza and the reconstruction of the densely populated enclave, which is now largely controlled by Israeli forces. More than ten months have passed since the ceasefire ended major military operations.
A meeting between Mr. Kushner, fellow envoy Steve Witkoff and Hamas leaders in Egypt last year helped secure the ceasefire. However, progress has since stalled over the key issue of Hamas's disarmament.
The meeting with Mr. al-Hayya lasted more than two hours and included officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. It was confirmed by a regional official and a Hamas official, both speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to reporters.
Hamas later issued a statement calling on mediators and the U.S.-created Board of Peace, which oversees the ceasefire, to "compel" Israel to approve the road map for next steps.
Prime Minister Netanyahu last week rejected the 15-point plan in a rare public show of defiance against the Trump administration, Israel's closest ally.
Besides Mr. Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace director Nickolay Mladenov are expected to meet with Mr. Netanyahu on Monday, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
Several regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia, have issued a statement condemning Israel's rejection of the road map. The foreign ministers' statement said "Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza." It also called on the Board of Peace and the U.S. to take "immediate and concrete measures" to prevent any party from obstructing the plan's implementation.
The meeting between Mr. Kushner and the Hamas chief was aimed at ensuring the group's commitment to the road map, particularly disarmament, before the meeting with Mr. Netanyahu, the regional official said.
A Hamas official said the group remains committed and is waiting for mediators to begin a 14-day negotiation period to work out a timetable for implementation. That period requires all parties' approval of the road map to begin.
The Hamas official also said Mr. al-Hayya has demanded that Israel halt attacks on Gaza and withdraw to the so-called "yellow line" dividing the territory before implementation begins. The yellow line has never been precisely defined. Israeli forces have moved beyond it and now control about 60% of Gaza. In May, Mr. Netanyahu said the next step was to move to 70% control, with Israel "tightening the grip" on Hamas "from every direction".
The White House referred questions about Mr. Kushner's meetings to the Board of Peace, which did not immediately comment. The Tony Blair Institute also did not comment.
Under the road map, Hamas would hand over weapons to a Palestinian technocratic committee meant to oversee daily operations in the enclave. That committee has not yet entered Gaza. Hamas has linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel's current government rejects.
