Jared Kushner meets Hamas leaders in Egypt to push Gaza peace plan

Aug 15, 2026

U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on August 16, 2026, to salvage a stalled 15-point Gaza peace roadmap. The plan, backed by Donald Trump's Board of Peace, requires Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the plan, insisting on complete disarmament before any military pullback. Eight Muslim nations have jointly condemned Israel's stance, while Netanyahu's Likud party claims regional powers are trying to topple his government ahead of the October 27 election.

Kushner-Hamas meeting in Egypt

▪U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner held a rare, two-hour meeting with Hamas political chief Khalil al-Hayya in El-Alamein, Egypt, on August 16, 2026.
▪The meeting between Jared Kushner and Khalil al-Hayya was attended by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov, and mediating officials from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.
▪Jared Kushner met separately with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Egypt on August 16, 2026, to discuss regional peace and the Gaza ceasefire.

15-point Gaza roadmap dispute

▪The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia issued a joint statement on August 16, 2026, condemning Israel's rejection of the roadmap.
▪The U.S.-backed 15-point roadmap requires Hamas to disarm in Gaza and Israel to withdraw its forces from the territory.

Hamas disarmament requirements

▪Under the proposed roadmap, Hamas would hand over its weapons to a new Palestinian technocratic committee designated to oversee daily administration in Gaza.
▪Hamas has conditioned the surrender of its heaviest weapons on the creation of a Palestinian state, which Israel's government rejects.

Netanyahu rejection of plan

▪Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party responded to regional criticism on August 16, 2026, by claiming Arab states want to topple Netanyahu to install centrist Gadi Eisenkot and center-left leader Yair Golan.
▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the 15-point roadmap, stating that Israel will not withdraw from any position in Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmed.

Board of Peace mediation

▪Jared Kushner, Tony Blair, and Nickolay Mladenov scheduled a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu on August 17, 2026, to salvage the stalled peace plan.
▪The Board of Peace, an international organization led by Donald Trump, announced in July 2026 that an agreement had been reached for the complete disarmament of Hamas.