President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and special envoy said the United States would not “restrict Israel’s right to self-defense” as the attack on Gaza continues.
Published August 17, 2026
US Special Envoy Jared Kushner has stressed that President Donald Trump’s administration will not allow Hamas to rebuild the devastated Gaza Strip until it lays down its weapons.
Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, but the meeting failed to produce a breakthrough in implementing a roadmap for the Gaza Strip agreed to by Hamas.
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“We have a plan to rebuild Gaza, but we will not allow Gaza to be rebuilt until demilitarization occurs,” Kushner said in an interview on Fox News.
“No one wants to put more money into a place that’s been around for so long if it’s just going to be taken over by terrorists or blown up again.”
Hamas had agreed to disarm as part of a U.S.-backed process that included Israel’s withdrawal and an end to deadly attacks on Palestinian territory.
But Israel rejected the offer earlier this month, saying it would not make any concessions until Gaza was fully demilitarized.
In an interview with Fox News, Mr. Kushner (whose family has deep personal ties to Mr. Netanyahu) appeared to adopt an Israeli perspective, stressing the complete demilitarization of Hamas before an Israeli withdrawal.
“We have no intention of restricting Israel’s right to defend itself when there is an imminent threat,” Kushner said. “And we needed to clarify what that meant.”
Since the ceasefire took effect last year, Israel has launched near-daily attacks on Gaza, killing at least 1,265 people in the enclave.
Overall, Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza has killed 73,399 Palestinians since October 2023.
Earlier Monday, President Trump called for an end to Israeli attacks. “Israelis should not attack in Gaza. Hamas has agreed to lay down its weapons,” the US president said.
Over the past three years, the United States has defended the Netanyahu government in international forums, giving Israel about $25 billion in military aid and imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court officials investigating atrocities in Gaza.
Kushner emphasized that the Gaza deal will benefit Israel.
“We think this is a win-win situation for Israel, because if Hamas does indeed voluntarily surrender its weapons and tunnels in the next 60 to 90 days, that would clearly eliminate a huge security threat to Israel, an almost unthinkable outcome,” he said.
“If they don’t fulfill that promise now, everyone will know that they are not serious about peace. Then Israel will receive more support from the United States and other countries to carry out its mission in the proper way.”
Kushner held an unusual meeting with Hamas officials on Sunday as the United States called for an end to the conflict.
The US envoy said the talks were “very friendly” but that the US would judge Hamas based on its actions.
“They said the right thing, but obviously it’s very difficult to trust a terrorist organization that committed such horrific atrocities,” Kushner said.
