President Donald Trump dispatched his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to an unexpected meeting with Hamas leaders as part of a push to persuade the group to disarm in Gaza, according to a new report.
Kushner, the US Special Envoy for Peace, met Sunday in Egypt with officials from the Islamist terrorist group, two sources familiar with the talks told Axios.
He is expected to sit down Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the “corresponding steps” Israel would need to take under the 20-point Gaza peace plan proposed by the United States, a source said.
The central aim of the “unusual” meeting was to turn Hamas’ obligation to demilitarize Gaza into “concrete, verifiable steps,” the report said.
Those present included Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayy, Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, Qatari diplomat Ali al-Thawadi and a senior Turkish official who was not named, according to sources.
Hamas urged to surrender its weapons and authority
The discussions are part of an effort to preserve the Gaza ceasefire by shifting authority to a Palestinian technocratic government and ensuring Hamas has no future role in governing the territory, the report said.
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip for 19 years, but the Board of Peace now wants the organization to give up its weapons and military infrastructure so the International Stabilization Force can support reconstruction and recovery efforts “without theft or intimidation of Palestinians involved in the efforts,” the outlet reported, citing a source.
The board is also seeking Israeli participation in “corresponding withdrawals” from Gaza if Hamas agrees to disarm.
A source told the publication: ‘There can be no ambiguity: Hamas must relinquish governing authority and all weapons and military infrastructure. And Gaza can never again be a source of terror for Israel.’
Trump’s peace board pushes plan’s next phase
The meeting came as Trump’s Board of Peace continues to push Hamas and Israel to move to the next phase of the US peace plan.
The framework was proposed by Trump in September 2025 to end the war in Gaza, initiate the release of hostages, and to manage post-war reconstruction and governance.
It led to an initial ceasefire and hostage prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.
Kushner’s meeting took place just hours after Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya met with Rashad, The Times of Israel reported. It was his first meeting with Hamas leaders since the end of the war last October.
In late July, Hamas agreed to turn over their weapons as part of the peace plan, but Netanyahu publicly rejected it.
Netanyahu rejects phased Israeli withdrawal
The prime minister said Israel won’t do the same until there is a full disarmament of Hamas.
‘I want to clarify this: Israel rejects the 15-point document. I have heard people saying, “You didn’t say that”. So here I am saying it again,’ Netanyahu told a meeting of his Cabinet on August 9.
‘The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed,’ the Israeli PM added.
Trump had celebrated what he described as a breakthrough in negotiations last month, saying Hamas had agreed to lay down its arms.
But the Board of Peace’s roadmap calls for Israel to gradually withdraw its forces from Gaza as Hamas disarms – a sequence Netanyahu made clear he will not accept.
‘When I say Hamas must be disarmed, I mean heavy weapons, lighter weapons, all weapons. We are talking about genuine disarmament, not a fictitious one,’ Netanyahu declared, insisting Israeli troops will remain in Gaza until the terror group is completely stripped of its arsenal.
Hamas demands Israeli withdrawal before disarming
Meanwhile, Hamas has taken the opposite position, stating last month that the group would only disarm after Israel fully withdraws from Gaza and ends military operations.
Hamas said that surrendering its heavy weapons would come later and only if a Palestinian state is established.
Netanyahu also doubled down on his long-standing opposition to Palestinian statehood, declaring: ‘As long as I am Prime Minister, there will be no Palestinian State.’
His comments come as he faces a fierce political fight ahead of October elections, with the wars in Gaza and Iran expected to dominate the campaign.
Senior Hamas official Basim Naeem blasted Netanyahu’s remarks, urging US officials and international mediators to ‘exert pressure’ on the Israeli leader to follow the agreed roadmap and ‘prevent him from obstructing the process for domestic political and electoral considerations.’
Naeem said Hamas remained committed to the Board of Peace’s proposal, describing it as an act of ‘national responsibility’ that serves the ‘interests of the Palestinian people.’
