Kushner meets Hamas then Netanyahu to revive Gaza peace plan

U.S. envoy Jared Kushner held rare talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt on Sunday before traveling to Israel for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, as Washington pushes to revive a U.S.-backed peace plan for Gaza that Israel has so far rejected. The diplomatic effort focuses on securing concrete steps toward disarmament from Hamas, which has voiced its commitment to the roadmap but faces deep skepticism from Israeli leadership.

Kushner met with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian city of El Alamein on Sunday. The meeting, which sources described as productive, included officials from the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, along with members of the international "Board of Peace" facilitating the plan. According to sources familiar with the discussions, Kushner conveyed that there can be no negotiation on disarmament and that Hamas must take verifiable steps. In response, Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to demilitarizing the Gaza Strip under the plan's framework and pledged to cede power and not interfere once a new Palestinian administrative body begins operating.

The meeting comes as Israel maintains it will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas...