Trump Envoy Arrives in Israel as Gaza Peace Plan Hits Fresh Roadblock
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, has arrived in Israel amid renewed diplomatic efforts to push forward Washington’s proposed roadmap for ending the conflict in Gaza.
Kushner is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, following discussions with Hamas representatives in Egypt over how the US-backed proposal could be implemented.
The latest diplomatic push follows Israel’s rejection of a 15-point plan presented by Trump’s Board of Peace.
The proposal calls for Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza to surrender their weapons, Israeli forces to withdraw from the territory and Gaza to be administered by a new civilian Palestinian authority.
A Palestinian official said Kushner met a Hamas delegation headed by the group’s overall leader, Khalil al-Hayya, in Egypt on Sunday.
Representatives from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey were also involved in the discussions as part of continuing mediation efforts.
A source familiar with the talks said the meeting examined plans for transferring administrative control of Gaza to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, preventing Hamas from taking part in future governance, arranging an Israeli military withdrawal and establishing an international stabilising force.
Hamas subsequently urged the mediators and the Board of Peace to put pressure on Israel to accept the proposed roadmap and resume negotiations.
During his Egyptian visit, Kushner also held talks with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza to the US-led Board of Peace, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair are also expected to meet Netanyahu as part of the diplomatic effort.
Netanyahu has maintained that Hamas must be completely disarmed before Israel withdraws its troops from Gaza.
“Israel rejects the Board of Peace’s 15-point document on Gaza,” Netanyahu said last week. “The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.”
The Israeli leader is facing pressure over the position from both international partners and members of his governing coalition.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has rejected any scaling back of Israel’s military campaign and has demanded stronger action against Hamas.
Eight Muslim-majority nations ; Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia, criticised Israel’s rejection of the American proposal in a joint statement issued on Sunday.
The countries warned that continued opposition to the plan could weaken efforts led by Trump to establish a lasting peace in Gaza.
The diplomatic activity comes amid continuing violence despite a ceasefire that began on October 10 last year.
Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of breaching the agreement, while Israeli forces have continued carrying out strikes across Gaza.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that it had attacked Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters in Khan Younis and Nuseirat. Local medical workers reported injuries among residents of a tent camp in Khan Younis.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 1,200 people have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect, while UNICEF has reported that at least 300 children were among those killed.
The broader conflict erupted after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage during the assault, according to Israeli figures.
Israel subsequently launched a major military offensive in Gaza. Gaza’s health ministry says more than 73,000 people have been killed in the territory since the war began, including more than 21,000 children.
The United Nations estimates that roughly 1.9 million people, representing about 90 per cent of Gaza’s population, have been displaced by the conflict.
Kushner’s engagement with Hamas is being viewed as a significant development, given the level of the US representative involved.
His arrival in Israel could mark Washington’s latest attempt to narrow the differences between Israel and Hamas and breathe new life into Trump’s proposed Gaza peace framework.
