Jared Kushner Meets Hamas Chief Khalil Al-Hayya in Egypt to Advance Trump Gaza Ceasefire Plan: 20 outlets compared
Kushner meets Hamas
The Independent said Kushner was slated to meet Israel’s prime minister on Monday to try to save a 15-point, U.S.-backed roadmap that requires Hamas to disarm in Gaza and Israel to pull back its forces from the war-torn Palestinian territory.
The BBC reported that a Palestinian official told it Kushner met a delegation led by Hamas’s new leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday, and that the talks were said to focus on concrete actions to decommission Hamas’s weapons alongside withdrawal and humanitarian efforts.
The Independent added that the meeting was confirmed by a regional official and a Hamas official speaking on condition of anonymity, and that Kushner belonged to a three-member envoy delegation meeting al-Hayya alongside mediating officials from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.
The BBC said Kushner also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi while in Egypt, and that Kushner, Nickolay Mladenov, and Tony Blair were expected to meet Netanyahu on Monday to advance Trump’s plan.
Condemnation and demands
As Kushner pushed the U.S.-backed roadmap, multiple regional governments condemned Israel’s rejection, with The Independent reporting a joint statement in which Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said “Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.”
The BBC likewise reported that eight Muslim countries issued a statement on Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection of the U.S. plan, and it quoted Netanyahu’s stance that “The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.”
The Independent said Hamas later called on mediators and the U.S.-created Board of Peace overseeing the ceasefire to “compel” Israel to approve the road map for next steps, while a Hamas official said the group was awaiting mediators to initiate a 14-day negotiation window.
The BBC reported that the ceasefire, which came into effect on 10 October last year, remains in place even as the Israel Defense Forces carried out several strikes in Gaza since then, including the latest on “terrorists” in Khan Yunis and Nuseirat areas.
The Independent also said Netanyahu publicly rejected the 15-point roadmap last week in a rare show of defiance toward the Trump administration, Israel’s chief ally, and that Likud answered the regional powers’ statement by asserting that “Arab states want to topple” Netanyahu.
What’s at stake
It also reported that at stake is the survival of approximately 2 million people in Gaza and the rebuilding of the densely populated enclave, which remains mostly under the control of Israeli forces more than 10 months after the ceasefire halted major military operations.
The BBC reported that 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, and that more than 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza according to the territory’s health ministry.
The BBC added that the UN estimates about 1.9 million people—90% of Gaza’s population—have been displaced since the war started, and that the ceasefire has not stopped Israeli strikes entirely.
In parallel, The Independent said Netanyahu faces a challenging Oct. 27 election as he attempts to retain power with a coalition featuring hardline ministers on Gaza policy, while the political timeline overlaps with the upcoming anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack.
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