Kushner meets Hamas in Egypt to push Trump's Gaza peace plan past Netanyahu's rejection

Kushner's diplomatic tour

Jared Kushner, son-in-law and special envoy of US President Donald Trump, arrived in Egypt on Sunday, 16 August 2026, for an unannounced visit aimed at reviving the stalled 15-point peace plan for Gaza. He met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi in the Mediterranean city of El Alamein, joined by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and intelligence chief Hassan Rashad. The Egyptian presidency said the meeting focused on advancing the ceasefire agreement reached at the Sharm el Sheikh Peace Summit in October 2025, with al Sisi stressing that all parties must fulfil their obligations under the truce. Hours earlier, Rashad had received a Hamas delegation led by the movement's leader, Khalil al Hayya, to discuss completing implementation of the summit resolutions and Trump's 15-point plan. Al Hayya's visit was his first since assuming the Hamas leadership in July, and Egyptian outlet Al Qahera News reported that Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the plan.

US assurances to Hamas

Kushner subsequently met with the Hamas delegation in Cairo, in the presence of Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish officials. According to sources cited by Al Arabiya, Kushner assured Hamas that the Israeli military would withdraw from Gaza in parallel with the disarmament of Palestinian militias, not after the process was completed, as Netanyahu had demanded. The sources said Kushner told the gathering the plan was not subject to renegotiation, with the objective being "to implement the plan, not renegotiate it." A separate account from Axios reported there would be "corresponding withdrawals" by Israel as Hamas disarmament was verified, with the caveat that "there can be no ambiguity: Hamas must renounce governing authority and all weapons and military infrastructure." Kushner also met with Nickolay Mladenov, the Peace Board's senior representative for Gaza, and was expected to travel to Tel Aviv to meet Netanyahu.

Netanyahu's rejection and eight-nation condemnation

The diplomatic push follows Netanyahu's rejection of the roadmap the previous weekend, when he announced the Israeli army would not leave Gaza until Hamas completed its disarmament, rather than accepting a gradual, verified process as recommended by the Peace Board. US sources suggested Netanyahu's stance was driven by electoral calculations ahead of October elections in Israel. Netanyahu demanded a "true" disarmament of Hamas, rejecting the text that Hamas had approved in late July. Eight Muslim nations, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, issued a joint statement condemning Israel's rejection. The statement, reported by Al Jazeera, said Israel's positions amounted to "a direct rejection of the Comprehensive Plan" and confirmed that Israel was "responsible for obstructing efforts to achieve peace in Gaza and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory." The countries said the roadmap had been accepted by Palestinian factions and described it as a "vital milestone for the dismantling of weapons, simultaneously with the withdrawal of Israeli forces."

The plan's framework

Trump's 15-point plan, presented by the Peace Board, calls for the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups, simultaneous Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, deployment of an International Stabilization Force, transfer of administrative authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and reconstruction of the territory. Hamas accepted the US roadmap in late July and announced the dissolution of its civil administration, intending to transfer responsibilities to the technocrat-led committee created by the Peace Board. The movement has governed Gaza since 2007. The United States had for years refused contact with Hamas, classifying it as a terrorist organisation following the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, but the Trump administration has shown increasing willingness to engage directly in pursuit of ending the war.