Kushner Meets Hamas Officials in Push for Gaza Plan

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser, met with Hamas leaders in Egypt on Sunday as part of a diplomatic effort to advance Trump’s plan for the future of the Gaza Strip, according to a Hamas official and another official briefed on the meetings.

A U.S. official also confirmed that Kushner was in Egypt for talks on Gaza but provided no further details. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Last month, Trump announced that his “Board of Peace” had reached an agreement with Hamas aimed at persuading the Palestinian group to give up its weapons. Disarming Hamas is a central component of Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan, much of which remains unimplemented nearly a year after an initial cease-fire was reached in October 2025.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said he rejected the agreement, effectively putting the plan on hold. Following his meeting with Hamas officials in Egypt, Kushner was expected to travel to Israel to meet Netanyahu and discuss the situation in Gaza.

Direct negotiations between the U.S. government and Hamas were once extremely rare. The United States designates Hamas as a terrorist organization. However, the Trump administration broke with that longstanding approach and held several rounds of direct talks with the group in an effort to secure the release of hostages captured in Israel and end the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

Although Kushner does not hold an official U.S. government position, Trump has relied on him, along with former real estate executive Steve Witkoff, to lead negotiations on major international issues, including the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

For the agreement with Hamas to move forward, Israel would likely have to accept a phased withdrawal of its forces from Gaza while Hamas gradually surrenders its weapons.

Netanyahu, however, has been reluctant to agree to such a process. He has insisted on “genuine disarmament” of Hamas before any Israeli withdrawal.

Analysts say Netanyahu’s position reflects Israel’s increasingly hawkish political climate following the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. His stance may also be influenced by the upcoming national elections in Israel this fall, as he seeks to appeal to voters who favor a tougher approach toward Hamas.

Neither Kushner nor Hamas publicly disclosed details of their meeting in Egypt.

Hamas said a delegation of senior officials led by its political chief, Khalil al-Hayya, had arrived in Egypt. The group said the delegation met with Hassan Rashad, Egypt’s intelligence chief, who has played a key role in mediating Gaza cease-fire negotiations.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also met with Kushner to discuss the Gaza peace process and other issues, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.