U.S. envoy Jared Kushner met with Hamas leadership in Egypt on Sunday ahead of a scheduled visit to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The meeting comes as the Trump administration’s Board of Peace seeks concrete steps from Hamas to uphold its commitment to disarm and demilitarize Gaza under the new U.S.-backed 15-point peace plan. Kushner will meet with Netanyahu on Monday to discuss “corresponding steps” for Israel to take, according to Axios.
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President Donald Trump announced in late July that a “historic agreement” for the “complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza” had been negotiated by the Board of Peace. The agreement called for Hamas to completely relinquish any governing role in Gaza.
Kushner and Hamas’s Khalil al Hayya were joined by mediating officials from Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar. Verifiable steps discussed in the meeting include maintaining the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, transferring governing responsibilities in the region to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and ensuring Hamas never holds power in the region again. Netanyahu publicly rejected the U.S.-backed peace plan last week, citing concerns that Hamas will not uphold its commitment to completely disarm.
The Israeli military “will not carry withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed,” Netanyahu said. “And when I say Hamas must be disarmed, I mean the heavy weapons, the less-heavy weapons, all weapons. And we are talking about genuine disarmament, not a fictitious one.”
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BOP CEO Nickolay Mladenov said following the announcement that Israel is not required to take any action until “we actually have verified steps on the ground.”
Sunday’s meeting marked the first time Kushner met with Hamas leadership since a peace deal was signed in October 2025.
