Kushner Meets Hamas as US Pushes for Gaza Disarmament Deal

Israel is insisting that Hamas’s disarmament come before the next stage of the plan moves forward.

By United with Israel Staff

Jared Kushner met senior Hamas officials in Egypt on Sunday as the Trump administration stepped up efforts to advance its Gaza roadmap, with the talks focusing heavily on Hamas’s disarmament and its potential future as a political movement.

Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and envoy, met a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, according to reports. Nikolay Mladenov, head of Trump’s Board of Peace, was also involved in the discussions.

The meeting was a rare direct encounter between a senior U.S. representative and Hamas and came as significant differences remain between Israel, Hamas and mediators over implementation of the next phase of the Gaza framework.

According to Saudi reports, the talks examined mechanisms under which Hamas could cease operating as an armed organization and function solely as a political movement, potentially allowing it to seek international legitimacy and participate in future Palestinian elections.

Saudi outlet Asharq reported, citing a Hamas source, that the delegation provided assurances intended to address U.S. concerns and reiterated its commitment to the roadmap agreement.

The source claimed Hamas had accepted Kushner’s demand that Gaza be demilitarized to the extent that it could no longer pose a security threat to Israel.

However, significant disagreements remain over what that would mean in practice.

Al-Arabiya reported that Kushner and Mladenov rejected a Hamas proposal under which its weapons would remain stored inside Gaza. Instead, the two reportedly demanded that Hamas surrender its weapons for removal from the Strip and dismantle its military infrastructure.

Hamas also reportedly asked Kushner to press Israel to end targeted strikes against its operatives in Gaza and halt arrests of its members in Judea and Samaria, arguing that the measures would be necessary for the organization to participate freely in future Palestinian elections.

The terrorist group is also seeking an IDF withdrawal to a line that would leave Israel controlling approximately 40% of the Gaza Strip.

Israel, however, is insisting that Hamas’s disarmament come before the next stage of the plan moves forward.

According to Kan News, Israeli security officials said reconstruction of Gaza must not begin until Hamas has surrendered its weapons. Any further IDF withdrawal beyond the current Yellow Line would be considered only after an outside body operating under the Board of Peace verifies that the relevant territory has been cleared of Hamas terrorists and military infrastructure.

Israel is also seeking to preserve its freedom to strike active terrorists in Gaza during the next phase of the agreement.

The Israeli security establishment is reportedly preparing for the possibility that Washington will demand an end to such strikes as part of efforts to move the framework forward. The Israeli Air Force carried out two strikes against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in Gaza over the past day, ahead of expected meetings between Kushner, Mladenov and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel.

The latest diplomatic push comes amid mounting international pressure on Jerusalem over its objections to elements of the proposed roadmap.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement Sunday accusing Israel of obstructing implementation of Trump’s Gaza plan.

The eight countries described Israel’s opposition as a “direct repudiation” of the plan that jeopardized its implementation and said Jerusalem now bore responsibility for “obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.”

Israel’s objections have centered on the sequencing and verification of Hamas’s disarmament, including proposals that would allow weapons to remain inside Gaza while Israeli forces withdraw.

Kushner and Mladenov are expected to discuss the remaining gaps with Netanyahu in Israel as Washington attempts to move the framework forward. For Jerusalem, the central demand remains that Hamas be genuinely and verifiably disarmed before Gaza’s reconstruction proceeds or Israel considers further withdrawals.