By Daily Touch Insights Editorial Team
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WORLD & MIDDLE EAST — Jared Kushner is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after holding a rare meeting with Hamas leaders in Egypt, as the Trump administration intensifies efforts to revive a stalled Gaza peace plan.
The diplomatic push comes at a critical moment. Kushner, a senior adviser and son-in-law to U.S. President Donald Trump, met Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on Sunday as U.S. officials seek progress on a 15-point plan for the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire.
Kushner's subsequent meeting with Netanyahu is expected to focus on the steps Israel would need to take if the proposed plan moves forward.
Kushner Meets Hamas in Rare Diplomatic Engagement
The meeting between Kushner and Hamas representatives is significant because direct engagement between U.S. officials and Hamas remains highly sensitive.
Kushner and Trump's Gaza envoy Nickolay Mladenov met Hamas representatives in Egypt alongside regional mediators as Washington attempts to move the ceasefire process into its next stage.
The talks included discussions about Hamas disarmament, Israeli military withdrawals and the future governance of Gaza.
The meeting demonstrates the administration's willingness to communicate with different parties involved in the conflict in an effort to reach an agreement.
Netanyahu Remains a Major Obstacle
The next stage of the diplomatic effort faces a significant challenge in Israel.
Netanyahu has rejected important aspects of the U.S.-backed proposal, particularly the proposed timetable for Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.
The Israeli prime minister has insisted that Hamas must be genuinely and fully disarmed before Israel makes major withdrawals.
That position conflicts with the sequencing proposed by the Trump administration, creating one of the central disputes in the negotiations.
What the U.S. Plan Proposes
The Trump administration's plan is designed to move Gaza toward a permanent ceasefire and a new political and security arrangement.
Among its major elements are the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups, an Israeli military withdrawal, the establishment of a new Palestinian civilian administration and international involvement in stabilising Gaza.
The plan also envisions reconstruction of the territory after years of devastating conflict.
Implementation, however, depends on the parties agreeing on how and when each obligation should be carried out.
Hamas Has Also Raised Conditions
Hamas has indicated support for the broad framework but has sought guarantees concerning Israeli actions.
The group has demanded an end to Israeli attacks and a withdrawal of Israeli forces to an agreed boundary before beginning the disarmament process.
This creates a fundamental sequencing problem.
Hamas wants Israeli commitments before surrendering its military capabilities, while Netanyahu wants Hamas to disarm before Israel makes significant military withdrawals.
The Disarmament Question Is Central
Hamas's future military status is one of the most difficult issues in the negotiations.
The U.S. plan envisages a Gaza in which Hamas no longer controls the territory and no longer maintains an armed military infrastructure.
For Israel, disarmament is considered essential to preventing another large-scale attack.
For Hamas, however, giving up its weapons without guarantees regarding Israeli withdrawal and the future of Gaza presents a major strategic risk.
Who Would Govern Gaza?
The proposed framework also calls for a change in Gaza's governing structure.
Rather than Hamas continuing to control the territory, the plan envisions governance by a Palestinian technocratic administration.
The broader arrangement would be accompanied by international support for reconstruction and security.
Removing Hamas from political and military control while creating an alternative administration would be an enormous logistical and political challenge.
International Forces Could Play a Role
The U.S.-backed proposal also includes plans for an International Stabilization Force.
Such a force could potentially assist with security during the transition and help create conditions for reconstruction.
Its effectiveness would depend heavily on which countries participate, what authority the force receives and how its presence is accepted by Palestinians and neighbouring states.
Egypt Is Playing a Key Mediating Role
Egypt has become an important location for the latest diplomatic efforts.
Cairo has longstanding relationships with both Palestinian and Israeli actors and has frequently played a mediation role during Gaza conflicts.
The latest meetings involving Hamas, U.S. representatives and regional officials demonstrate Egypt's continuing importance in efforts to negotiate a settlement.
Qatar and Turkey have also been involved in the wider diplomatic process.
The Meeting With Netanyahu Could Determine the Next Step
Kushner's meeting with Netanyahu is particularly important because the United States must now attempt to reconcile the positions of Israel and Hamas.
Securing commitments from only one side would not be enough to implement the plan.
The negotiations therefore require Washington to find a sequence of actions that both parties consider sufficiently credible.
That is likely to be the most difficult part of the process.
Netanyahu Faces Domestic Political Pressure
The Israeli prime minister is also operating under significant domestic political pressure.
His government contains factions that strongly oppose concessions to Hamas and demand that Israel maintain control over security matters in Gaza.
Any agreement requiring an Israeli withdrawal or limitations on military operations could therefore create political difficulties for Netanyahu.
At the same time, continued conflict creates its own strategic and humanitarian costs.
Hamas Faces Its Own Difficult Decision
Hamas also faces a major strategic choice.
Agreeing to disarm would represent a fundamental transformation of the organisation's role in Gaza.
It would also require Hamas to give up the military capabilities that have been central to its position in the conflict.
However, accepting a transition away from military control could potentially open the door to a broader ceasefire and reconstruction process.
The Humanitarian Situation Remains Important
Diplomatic negotiations are taking place while Gaza continues to face severe humanitarian challenges.
Years of conflict have caused extensive damage to homes, infrastructure and essential services.
A durable agreement would therefore need to address not only military arrangements but also humanitarian assistance, reconstruction and the restoration of basic services.
Without meaningful improvements for civilians, a political agreement could remain fragile.
Reconstruction Could Become the Next Major Challenge
Even if the ceasefire negotiations succeed, rebuilding Gaza would require enormous financial and logistical resources.
Homes, hospitals, schools, roads, water systems and electricity infrastructure would all require significant investment.
International donors would also need sufficient confidence that reconstruction projects could operate safely and that renewed fighting would not destroy the progress.
That makes security and reconstruction closely connected.
The United States Is Trying to Bridge the Gap
Kushner's role illustrates the Trump administration's attempt to act as an intermediary between opposing positions.
His meetings with Hamas and Netanyahu put him in a position to communicate the demands and concerns of both sides.
But diplomacy cannot guarantee an agreement.
The United States will need to persuade Israel that the security risks can be managed while also convincing Hamas that disarmament and political transition will produce tangible benefits.
The Biggest Problem Is Trust
At the centre of the negotiations is a severe lack of trust.
Israel fears that Hamas could use any withdrawal to rebuild its military capabilities.
Hamas fears that disarmament could leave it vulnerable while Israeli forces remain in Gaza.
Neither side wants to make an irreversible concession based solely on promises from the other.
This is why verification mechanisms and clearly defined stages could become essential to any agreement.
Why Kushner's Meeting With Hamas Matters
The rare meeting demonstrates that Washington is trying to address the problem directly rather than relying exclusively on indirect communication.
It also indicates that the Trump administration sees Hamas's disarmament and Gaza's future governance as issues that must be negotiated rather than simply imposed.
Whether the engagement produces concrete progress remains uncertain.
What Happens Next?
The immediate focus will shift to Kushner's meeting with Netanyahu.
The U.S. delegation will need to determine whether Israel is prepared to accept a workable sequence for military withdrawal, humanitarian access and the transition to a new Gaza administration.
If Israel and Hamas can agree on the initial steps, negotiations could potentially move toward implementation.
If either side refuses to compromise on sequencing, the peace plan could remain stalled.
Our Perspective
Kushner's meetings with Hamas and Netanyahu represent a serious diplomatic attempt to break a difficult deadlock.
But the central problem should not be underestimated.
The parties are being asked to take actions that each considers dangerous unless the other side acts first.
The success of the plan will therefore depend less on another announcement and more on whether negotiators can create a system in which both Israel and Hamas can take verifiable steps without believing they are giving away their security before receiving anything in return.
Conclusion
Jared Kushner is preparing to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after holding rare talks with Hamas representatives in Egypt as the Trump administration pushes to revive its Gaza peace plan.
The proposal calls for Hamas disarmament, an Israeli military withdrawal, new Palestinian governance and international support for stabilisation and reconstruction.
Hamas has expressed conditional support for the framework, while Netanyahu has rejected key elements and insisted that Hamas must be fully disarmed before Israel withdraws.
The coming discussions will therefore test whether Washington can bridge the gap between two fundamentally different positions.
Kushner's meeting with Netanyahu could become one of the most important diplomatic moments in the latest attempt to move Gaza from a fragile ceasefire toward a more permanent political settlement.
