US Special Envoy Jared Kushner is scheduled to meet in Tel Aviv for high-stakes talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, following an intensive diplomatic meeting in Cairo, Egypt, aimed at advancing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire roadmap.
Kushner, accompanied by Peace Committee Secretary General Nikolai Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, held an unprecedented meeting with a Hamas delegation that lasted more than two hours. Reuters reported that Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya led the team.
The diplomatic push comes as Washington seeks to implement a 15-point roadmap for Gaza approved by President Donald Trump’s peace commission.
However, Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly rejected this framework, insisting that while Israel would continue its military operations in Gaza and expand its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces would not withdraw until Hamas was fully disarmed.
Here’s what we know about Kushner’s meeting with Hamas leaders, what Kushner is expected to do next, and what these developments mean for the 15-point plan for Gaza.
Why did Mr. Kushner meet with the Hamas leader?
The United States officially describes Hamas as a proscribed “terrorist” organization. Unofficially, the United States has long engaged with Palestinian groups, primarily through intermediaries.
Political analysts see the direct engagement of the US envoy with Hamas leadership as a crucial recognition of the political realities on the ground.
Mahjoub Zweiri, a lecturer at Doha Graduate School and an expert on Middle East politics, told Al Jazeera that the meeting represented “a kind of submission by the United States to the fact that Hamas is a political force that cannot be ignored in Palestinian society.”
He noted that Washington recognizes that Hamas remains an essential actor for a lasting settlement, despite Israel’s efforts to sideline the group.
“This is an issue that Prime Minister Netanyahu was trying to avoid,” Zweiri said, adding that the Israeli prime minister was “defying US policy and international law.”
Adel Shadid, an expert on Israel issues, echoed this assessment, saying direct talks in Cairo would be a significant strategic shift and would be very disturbing to the Israeli leadership.
“This makes it clear that there is a change in the US position towards Hamas,” Shadid told Al Jazeera.
He added that Washington now has a different view of the movement, showing that “Hamas is no longer the problem in America’s view, but rather part of the solution.”
Shadid stressed that this dynamic is “contrary to one of the most important objectives of the war, which is the eradication of Hamas, not only militarily but also politically.”
Ahmed Atna, director of the Istanbul-based Vision Center for Political Development, told Al Jazeera that the Palestinian factions are currently in a strong tactical negotiating position with mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
“We can now say that the Palestinians and the resistance are in a better position to negotiate, even conditionally or tactically,” Atauna said.
What will be on the agenda when Kushner meets with Netanyahu?
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aronos reported that US officials were becoming increasingly frustrated that Israel was “trying to buy time, introduce new reservations and change the order set out in the roadmap.”
The newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions, that the US government feels that “Israel is playing a game.”
The newspaper said Kushner’s mission in Monday’s meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not to restart negotiations, with one source saying he was “not coming to Israel to play another round of diplomatic ping pong” but rather “getting closer to concluding negotiations.”
The US administration is expected to urge Netanyahu to halt attacks on Gaza, withdraw troops to the “yellow line”, significantly increase humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave, and allow reconstruction and the deployment of civilian governance structures.
Why is this important to Trump?
Some analysts say President Trump is increasingly focused on pushing through the Gaza Strip as other foreign policy initiatives retreat.
“It is not progressing as Iran would like. Attempts to separate the Lebanese file from the memorandum were unsuccessful,” Zweiri told Al Jazeera. “The only file where he can make a breakthrough and record it as a foreign policy victory is now the Gaza file.”
Eight Arab and Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkiye, issued a joint statement accusing Israel of rejecting the roadmap and slowing efforts to end the genocidal war in Gaza.
They warned that rejecting the framework “is a clear refusal to move forward with the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan and poses a direct threat to undermine President Trump’s extensive efforts to end the war in Gaza.”
15-point plan: What are the main controversies?
The central dispute centers on the order of obligations under the 15-point plan.
The framework calls for a phased approach, including a cessation of military operations, gradual disarmament and storage of weapons, withdrawal of Israeli troops, and deployment of an international stabilization force to work with the Palestinian technocratic government.
Hamas confirmed acceptance of the roadmap at the Cairo conference, but insisted its implementation depended on Israel fulfilling its prior commitments and ceasing routine violations of the ceasefire that officially came into force last October.
At least 1,260 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks since the broader “ceasefire” agreement went into effect.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the Cairo talks focused on ensuring that the mediator and peace committee fully monitor Israeli violations, stressing that any progress must bind Israel to an agreed roadmap.
Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, who also met with Mr. Kushner, reiterated the need for all parties to respect the commitments made under the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Framework of October 2025.
