US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Jared Kushner has held rare talks with Hamas to discuss the implementation of the US-backed Gaza peace plan. A Palestinian official told the BBC Trump’s son-in-law met a delegation led by Hamas’s new leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday.
Last month, Trump’s Board of Peace said it had reached agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed group in Gaza. Last week, Israel rejected Trump’s 15-point plan which also calls for Israeli troops to withdraw and for Gaza to be rebuilt under a new civilian Palestinian administration.
Eight Muslim countries issued a statement on Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection.
Trump leads the Board of Peace – created as an international organisation originally intended to bring peace to Gaza, but later expanded to include conflicts worldwide.
Kushner’s meeting with Hayya is said to be the first at this level since last year’s agreement of a ceasefire for the Gaza Strip.
According to reports, Board of Peace envoys Nickolay Mladenov and UK ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair were also part of the meeting – alongside representatives of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, which have mediated in the peace efforts.
No official statement has been released of the talks reportedly focusing on concrete actions to decommission Hamas’s weapons – as well as the withdrawal of Israeli troops and humanitarian efforts.
Whilst in Egypt, Kushner also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. According to Israeli media reports, Kushner, Mladenov and Blair will meet Netanyahu on Monday with the aim of advancing Trump’s plan.
The Israeli prime minister has said he wants a full Hamas disarmament first in order to implement the deal.
“Israel rejects the Board of Peace’s 15-point document on Gaza. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed,” Netanyahu said last week defying Israel’s closest ally.
In a joint statement on Sunday, Egypt, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia said Israel’s rejection of the US plan threatened Trump’s efforts for peace.
The ceasefire, which came into effect on 10 October last year, remains in place.
However, the Israel Defense Forces have carried out several strikes in Gaza since then – the latest on “terrorists” in Khan Yunis and Nuseirat areas of Gaza – accusing Hamas of breaking the truce.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Israel responded to the attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 73,000 people have been killed, according to the territory’s health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
The UN estimates that about 1.9 million people – 90% of Gaza’s population – have been displaced since the war started.
By BBC News
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