Kushner met with Hamas leader over Gaza roadmap; next meeting is with Netanyahu
Kyiv • UNN
Jared Kushner met with the head of Hamas in Egypt to salvage the 15-point plan for disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli troops. On Monday, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
U.S. negotiator and U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with the head of Hamas on Sunday as part of a new diplomatic effort to make progress on the stalled Gaza ceasefire. On Monday, Kushner will meet with the prime minister of Israel, UNN reports, citing the AP.
Details
The publication notes that the talks are aimed at salvaging the U.S.-backed 15-point plan for disarming Hamas in Gaza and withdrawing Israeli troops from the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
At stake are the lives of about 2 million people in Gaza and the reconstruction of the overcrowded enclave, which is now largely controlled by Israeli forces, more than 10 months after the ceasefire. A meeting last year in Egypt between Kushner, his colleague and envoy Steve Witkoff, and Hamas leaders helped broker the ceasefire, whose progress has remained stalled over the key issue of Hamas's disarmament.
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The rare meeting in Egypt with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya was confirmed by a regional official and a Hamas representative, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists. Kushner was one of three envoys who met with al-Hayya; representatives of the mediating countries—Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey—were also present at the meeting.
We add
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the 15-point plan, demonstrating a rare public protest against the Trump administration, Israel's closest ally.
Now, according to a source familiar with the plans and a diplomatic source, Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Nikolay Mladenov, director of the U.S.-created Board of Peace tasked with the ceasefire, are due to meet with Netanyahu on Monday. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting.