Kushner, Netanyahu To Discuss Gaza Plan After Cairo Talks With Hamas

US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, a day after holding a rare meeting with Hamas officials in Cairo, as per Reuters.

Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya attended some of the meetings between Kushner, US envoy for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov and Egyptian mediators on Sunday, according to a diplomatic source cited by Reuters. It was Kushner's second known meeting with Hamas representatives.

The Cairo discussions come as Washington seeks to move its Gaza peace plan from an agreed framework towards implementation, with Hamas disarmament, Israeli troop withdrawal and the future administration of Gaza among the central unresolved issues.

Cairo Talks

Kushner also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in El Alamein on Sunday as part of efforts to advance the US initiative. The Egyptian presidency said the meeting focused on developments in Gaza and efforts to implement the US peace plan.

Hamas had sent al-Hayya to Cairo ahead of Kushner's visit for discussions with Egyptian officials on the ceasefire process, Outlook India reported. Hamas has expressed conditional support for Trump's plan but maintains that Israeli forces must withdraw from Gaza and that the question of Palestinian factions' weapons must be addressed within a wider political settlement.

Trump's Gaza Plan

The White House's comprehensive plan is a 20-point framework covering a ceasefire, humanitarian assistance, Gaza's reconstruction and a transitional governance arrangement.

The plan provides for the establishment of a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and an International Stabilization Force, with US officials including Kushner and Mladenov involved in its implementation. The White House said the framework is intended to establish security, support reconstruction and create a path towards long-term governance in Gaza.

Netanyahu's Objections

The plan faces a major obstacle in Netanyahu's position on Israeli withdrawal.

Trump has said the arrangement would be implemented in phases, with Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza as Hamas and other armed groups are disarmed. Hamas has said implementation depends on Israel meeting its own commitments, including withdrawal and an end to attacks.

Netanyahu has publicly rejected the proposed phased withdrawal and insisted that Israeli forces remain in Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmed, Outlook India reported. The position has created a significant impasse in efforts to implement the US-backed roadmap.

Kushner's meeting with Netanyahu therefore comes as Washington attempts to bridge the gap between Israel's demands for disarmament and Hamas's insistence on Israeli withdrawal before the plan can move into its next phase.