Kushner Meets Hamas Leaders: "Israeli Withdrawal in Exchange for Disarmament"

Jared Kushner, envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump, held a meeting in Cairo late Sunday afternoon with a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, head of the organization’s political bureau. According to media reports, Kushner said the meeting was intended "to translate the commitments Hamas made in the roadmap for demilitarizing Gaza into concrete steps."

Also participating in the meeting were Nikolay Mladenov, chair of the Gaza Peace Board; former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is involved with the Peace Board; and representatives from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. Kushner reportedly emphasized during the meeting that "further Israeli withdrawals will be carried out in exchange for Hamas disarming." Steps aimed at preserving the ceasefire, beginning the transfer of all governing authority to the Palestinian technocratic government, and starting the dismantling of weapons and military infrastructure were also discussed.

Meanwhile, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan issued a statement condemning Israel’s decision to reject the Gaza Peace Board’s 15-point document. According to the joint statement released by the countries, "Israel bears responsibility for disrupting peace efforts in Gaza and the Palestinian territories. Israel’s rejection threatens to undermine Trump’s efforts to end the war in Gaza."

As a reminder, last month President Trump announced that the Peace Board he established had reached an agreement with Hamas on the organization’s disarmament and on transferring civilian and security control in Gaza to a new Palestinian technocratic government.