'Gaza Won’t Be Rebuilt Until Demilitarisation': Jared Kushner After Netanyahu Meeting

US special envoy Jared Kushner said on Monday (local time) that Gaza would not be rebuilt until the territory is demilitarised, after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem as Washington pushes a plan to end the war. Kushner’s remarks came after two days of talks involving Israeli and Hamas representatives, but the discussions ended without a breakthrough on the key issue of sequencing, with Israel insisting that Hamas disarm before an Israeli military withdrawal.

In an interview with Fox News, he said that Hamas may be close to surrendering weapons now. Kushner said they reaffirmed all their commitments to US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan and to the 15-point roadmap that they have been working out with them for the last four months where they commit to giving up their weapons.

Kushner Says Hamas Could Give Up Weapons Soon

Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, met the mediators in Cairo with Hamas and actually with the National Committee which is the new technocratic Palestinian government that will go over when they hand over control.

“Hamas has had weapons for a long time and has been a terrible terrorist organization, but at this point with the pressure from all the mediators and with the United States, they do seem willing to do it,” he told Fox News.

Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya signed a document on giving up weapons and further reiterated his commitment to follow through. The US has been working with Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to pressurise Hamas out of governance in Gaza.

Israel To Withdraw Only After Hamas Disarms

Kushner said Israel is currently at the “yellow line” agreed upon during negotiations for the initial deal under the 20-point plan. He said Hamas must first demonstrate that it is serious about the agreement, noting that there have been “many, many violations” by the group.

He said Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would be discussed only after Hamas fully complies with the agreement and demilitarisation is achieved. The ultimate goal, he said, is for Israel to withdraw from Gaza once Hamas is genuinely demilitarised and a governance structure is in place that can help the Palestinian population develop. Kushner said the aim is also to ensure that Gaza does not become a threat to Israel again.

Following his meeting with Netanyahu, Kushner said the two shared the same objective of achieving a demilitarised Gaza and peace in southern Israel. He said success could bring a major strategic change for Israel. “Netanyahu and I agreed that we share the exact same goals which is a demilitarized Gaza and we really want to see you know peace in in the south and if we are able to be successful with this, it could be an amazing change of the strategic nature for Israel,” he said.

Kushner also said the Abraham Accords could expand under the Trump administration, with active discussions underway with several countries. He said progress on Gaza could help de-escalate regional tensions, while opportunities for expanding the agreements could emerge after the Israeli elections.

He said the UAE had been the biggest donor to Gaza and argued that its relationship with Israel had enabled it to assist Palestinians and potentially help improve their situation.