Kushner's Gaza talks end without breakthrough

Netanyahu says Israel will withdraw only after Hamas disarms

JERUSALEM:

Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner on Monday wrapped up two days of meetings with Israeli and Hamas leaders to break a stalemate over the US president's Gaza plan, but there were no signs of an imminent breakthrough as both sides dug in.

Kushner met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel a day after meeting Hamas' political leader in Egypt in a bid to revive the plan, which has stalled as Israel has carried out air strikes and seized more territory in Gaza despite an October ceasefire, while Hamas has refused to give up its weapons.

An Israeli official indicated that there was no breakthrough in the meeting, saying Netanyahu had made it clear the military would not withdraw from a demarcation line set out in an October ceasefire and would continue to carry out operations in Gaza as it sees necessary, including targeting those who took part in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the war.

Two sources said Kushner's meeting with Netanyahu lasted several hours. Nickolay Mladenov, Trump's Board of Peace envoy for Gaza who is widely seen as leading efforts to implement the plan, also attended the meeting, the sources told Reuters.

The Israeli official said Netanyahu and Kushner agreed in the meeting that the reconstruction of Gaza would not begin until Hamas was fully disarmed, including of light weapons.

In a statement that characterized the meeting as "deep and constructive", the prime minister's office said that Israel and the Board of Peace believe that Gaza's disarmament should be "prompt and completed before any reconstruction happens".

It also said that Netanyahu had agreed with the Board of Peace to establish a working group on disarmament and demilitarization, and another working group that focuses on sanitation, clean water and other public health issues in Gaza.

A Board of Peace official described the meeting as "in-depth and very productive," saying the two sides had reached an agreement on a path forward. The official did not elaborate.

US and Israeli officials have previously said that reconstruction could happen in areas of Gaza under Israeli control or a new Palestinian technocratic government. The Board of Peace has indicated that while rifles would be prohibited, some personal weapons would be permitted under Palestinian law.

Netanyahu is facing a tough reelection campaign and diplomats say it is unlikely Israel's longest-serving prime minister would make any concessions over Gaza before the October 27 vote.

Kushner and Mladenov were in Israel after meeting with Hamas political leader Khalil Al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday.

It marks Kushner's second known meeting with representatives of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group designated a terrorist movement by the United States.

Kushner previously met Hamas officials alongside US envoy Steve Witkoff in October 2025, helping clinch a deal that led to a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of remaining hostages seized by Hamas. Reuters