US and Hamas Hold Rare Direct Talks on Gaza Peace Plan

A high-level US diplomatic mission engaged in rare direct talks with Hamas on Sunday, aiming to revive a stalling peace plan for Gaza that Israel has publicly rejected. The meeting in the Egyptian coastal city of El Alamein saw US envoy Jared Kushner meet with a delegation led by Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya, according to officials from the Palestinian group. Discussions focused on implementing a 15-point roadmap announced by the US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, which calls for Hamas to disarm and for Israel to withdraw its forces.

The talks represent the first known high-level contact between the Trump administration and Hamas since a ceasefire was agreed in October 2025. According to sources, Kushner pressed for concrete and verifiable steps toward disarmament and relayed that Gaza must never again be a source of terror for Israel. Following the meeting, Hamas stated it called on the Board of Peace and mediating countries to "compel" Israel to accept the roadmap and begin establishing a timetable for its implementation.

The diplomatic push comes two weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally rejected the US proposal. Netanyahu has...