President Donald Trump dispatched his son-in-law Jared Kushner to an unexpected meeting with Hamas officials as part of a push to secure the group’s disarmament in Gaza, according to a new report.
Kushner, serving as the US Special Envoy for Peace, met Sunday in Egypt with leaders of the Islamist terrorist group, two sources familiar with the talks told Axios.
He is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the “corresponding steps” Israel would need to take under the US-backed 20-point Gaza peace plan, 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 an unnamed senior Turkish official, according to the sources.
The effort is intended to help preserve the ceasefire in Gaza by shifting authority to a Palestinian technocratic government while 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 is now seeking to have the organization give up its weapons and military infrastructure so the International Stabilization Force can oversee reconstruction and recovery “without theft or intimidation of Palestinians involved in the efforts,” Axios reported, citing a source.
The board also wants Israel to make “corresponding withdrawals” in Gaza if Hamas agrees to disarm.
Jared Kushner (second on left), the US Special Envoy for Peace, met with Hamas leaders in Egypt on Sunday
The focus of the meeting was to get Hamas to agree to disarm the terrorist group as part of the next point of the US 20-point peace plan
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.’
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.
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.
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.
Trump had celebrated what he described as a breakthrough in negotiations last month, saying Hamas had agreed to lay down its arms
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.’
