Kushner holds rare Gaza road map talks with Hamas chief

KUALA LUMPUR, 17 AUGUST 2026 —

Jared Kushner met Hamas political chief Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on Sunday to salvage a 15-point US plan that would trade Hamas disarmament for an Israeli pullback from Gaza.

The two-hour meeting followed Israel’s rejection of the road map and came 10 months after the August ceasefire ended major fighting. About two million people live in the coastal strip, now largely under Israeli control after weeks of ground operations.

Envoys from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey joined the talks in Cairo, two officials with direct knowledge of the closed-door discussions said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media. Steve Witkoff, a fellow US negotiator, also attended.

“Kushner’s goal is to lock Hamas into the timetable before Netanyahu’s meeting tomorrow,” said a regional official briefed on the agenda. The Hamas official present said the group remains committed but wants Israel to halt attacks and withdraw to the so-called yellow line—an informal boundary Netanyahu has already crossed.

Israeli forces now control roughly 60 per cent of Gaza, according to May comments by Netanyahu, who said the military would “tighten the grip” until it reaches 70 per cent. Hamas insists on a full withdrawal to the yellow line before it begins disarming under the plan.

Under the road map, the militant group would surrender its weapons to a Palestinian technocratic committee that has yet to enter Gaza. The surrender of heavy weapons, however, is tied by Hamas to the creation of a Palestinian state—something Israel’s current government rejects. Israel counters that it will not retreat until Hamas is completely disarmed.

The impasse has frozen other elements of the ceasefire, including reconstruction and the deployment of international monitors to separate Israeli troops from committee-controlled zones.

On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis and Nuseirat wounded at least five Palestinians and killed one, according to doctors at Nasser Hospital and the Israeli military. The strikes targeted militants but hit civilian tents, local health officials said.

Regional backers of the plan are growing impatient. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia issued a joint statement on Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection and urging the US Board of Peace—chaired by Nickolay Mladenov—and Washington to “take immediate and concrete measures” to keep the road map on track.

Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Mladenov are scheduled to meet Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, according to a source familiar with the plans and a separate diplomatic source, both speaking on condition of anonymity.

The White House referred questions to the Board of Peace, which did not immediately comment. The Tony Blair Institute also declined to respond.

Hamas says it is ready to start a 14-day negotiation period once all parties approve the road map, but insists the timeline cannot begin until Israel halts military operations and withdraws.