A dramatic new diplomatic effort is underway to revive President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, with his son-in-law and longtime adviser Jared Kushner holding a rare direct meeting with senior Hamas leaders in Egypt. The talks come at a critical moment, as disagreements over Hamas’ disarmament and Israel’s military withdrawal have left the broader agreement stalled. Kushner met with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on Sunday as part of a wider push to move the next phase of the U.S.-backed Gaza plan forward.
The meeting was particularly significant because direct discussions between senior American officials and Hamas remain highly unusual. Kushner had previously participated in talks with Hamas representatives in 2025 that contributed to a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages. This latest meeting was aimed at resolving one of the most difficult issues in the entire Gaza peace process: what happens to Hamas’ weapons and military infrastructure, and when Israel should withdraw its forces from the territory.
According to people familiar with the discussions, Kushner pressed Hamas to demonstrate that it was prepared to take concrete steps toward disarmament. The American side has argued that visible progress on that issue is essential if Israel is expected to make corresponding concessions. Hamas, however, has maintained that the process cannot move forward without reciprocal Israeli actions.
The group has expressed frustration over continued Israeli military activity in Gaza and has called for Israeli forces to withdraw to previously agreed positions. Hamas has also linked its willingness to disarm to broader guarantees concerning a permanent ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction. The disagreement illustrates the central problem facing Trump’s Gaza initiative.
While Hamas has indicated that it accepts the broad framework of the proposed roadmap, Israel has rejected important elements of the latest U.S.-backed proposal. Trump’s plan envisions a phased process in which Hamas would give up its weapons and military capabilities while Israeli forces gradually withdraw from Gaza. An international stabilization force would help provide security, while a new Palestinian police structure would play a role in maintaining order.
The plan also calls for Gaza’s future administration to be transferred to a Palestinian technocratic body rather than remaining under Hamas control. For Washington, the goal is to turn the ceasefire framework into a more permanent political and security arrangement. But the competing demands of Israel and Hamas have made that extremely difficult. Kushner’s trip to Egypt was therefore not simply another round of diplomatic meetings.
It represented an attempt to break through a deadlock that has prevented the second phase of the peace plan from being implemented. The American delegation included several influential figures involved in the Gaza negotiations. Among them was Nickolay Mladenov, a senior representative of Trump’s Board of Peace and a key figure in efforts to translate the broader agreement into a workable arrangement on the ground.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is also associated with the Board of Peace, took part in the discussions as well. Egypt has played a particularly important role in the diplomatic process because of its geographic position and long-standing relationships with the various parties involved. Egyptian officials have repeatedly sought to mediate between Israel and Hamas and have emphasized that lasting stability in Gaza is closely connected to the security of the wider Middle East.
During his visit, Kushner also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egyptian officials have stressed the importance of stabilizing Gaza and preventing the conflict from continuing to destabilize neighboring countries. The Hamas meeting was followed by another major diplomatic encounter. On Monday, Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem to discuss the same stalled peace initiative.
That meeting placed the American envoy between two sides that currently hold sharply different positions. Netanyahu has insisted that Israel cannot accept a withdrawal from Gaza unless Hamas is fully disarmed. Israeli officials have rejected the idea of withdrawing in stages while Hamas retains weapons or military capabilities. From Israel’s perspective, allowing Hamas to maintain its armed structure would create the possibility of another conflict in the future.
Hamas, meanwhile, has argued that Israel must fulfill its own commitments before the group is expected to complete disarmament. Its leaders have pointed to continued Israeli strikes and the presence of Israeli forces in Gaza as evidence that the conditions for moving forward have not yet been established. That leaves Kushner and the Trump administration with the difficult task of persuading both sides to make concessions at roughly the same time.
The political situation in Israel adds another layer of complexity. Netanyahu is facing domestic political pressure ahead of national elections scheduled for October, and his government has taken a firm position against any arrangement that could be interpreted as allowing Hamas to remain armed. At the same time, several Arab governments have expressed concern about the lack of progress.
Regional powers have called on the United States to use its influence to ensure that the commitments contained in the peace framework are respected. For the people of Gaza, the stakes are enormous. The territory has endured widespread destruction, displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis since the war began in 2023. Although a ceasefire significantly reduced the scale of the fighting, violence has not disappeared entirely, and questions about Gaza’s future administration, security and reconstruction remain unresolved.
The proposed international stabilization force is intended to help address some of those problems. Under the plan, international personnel would work alongside a new Palestinian security structure while supporting the transition toward a demilitarized Gaza. The broader objective is to create conditions in which reconstruction can begin and civilians can eventually return to a more stable environment. But none of those measures can be implemented effectively unless the fundamental disagreement over Hamas’ weapons is resolved.
Kushner’s meeting with Hamas therefore represents both a potential opening and a reminder of how difficult the road ahead remains. The fact that an American representative was able to sit directly with senior Hamas figures suggests that diplomatic channels remain open despite the deep hostility between the parties. At the same time, a meeting alone does not guarantee progress.
Hamas wants clear evidence that Israel will withdraw and end military operations, while Israel wants verifiable evidence that Hamas is genuinely prepared to surrender its military capabilities. Each side is effectively asking the other to move first. That is precisely the dilemma the Trump administration is now attempting to overcome. Kushner has experience in Middle Eastern diplomacy from his previous work during Trump’s first administration and has remained involved in the president’s efforts to reshape the region.
His participation in the 2025 negotiations demonstrated that Washington is willing to communicate indirectly and, when necessary, directly with Hamas in pursuit of a broader agreement. The latest talks indicate that the Trump administration is once again betting on intensive personal diplomacy to keep the Gaza plan alive. Whether that strategy succeeds will depend on what happens after the meetings. Hamas would need to demonstrate meaningful progress toward dismantling its military infrastructure.
Israel would need to consider whether it can accept a phased withdrawal rather than demanding complete disarmament first. International mediators would then have to oversee the implementation and ensure that neither side abandons its commitments. For now, the diplomatic process remains fragile. Kushner’s journey from meetings with Hamas representatives in Cairo to discussions with Netanyahu in Jerusalem underscores the extraordinary challenge facing the United States.
Washington is attempting to bridge a divide between two sides that disagree not only over the details of a peace agreement but also over the basic sequence in which its provisions should be carried out. The coming weeks could therefore prove decisive. If the United States can persuade Hamas to begin verifiable disarmament while obtaining Israeli agreement to a meaningful withdrawal and broader humanitarian measures, Trump’s plan could regain momentum.
If neither side is willing to compromise, however, the latest diplomatic push could become another episode in a long series of negotiations that produce promises but little change on the ground. For Kushner and the Trump administration, the rare meeting with Hamas represents a renewed attempt to change that pattern. For Gaza, Israel and the wider region, it is another test of whether an agreement designed to end years of devastating conflict can finally move from paper to reality.
