Jared Kushner meets with Hamas leader in Egypt before Netanyahu talks on Gaza peace plan

U.S. envoy Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on August 16, 2026, to salvage a stalled 15-point Gaza peace plan. The roadmap, backed by Donald Trump's Board of Peace, requires Hamas to disarm and hand over power to a technocratic committee in exchange for an Israeli military withdrawal. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the plan, insisting on complete disarmament before any troop withdrawal. Netanyahu faces intense domestic pressure ahead of an October election, particularly from far-right coalition partners like Itamar Ben-Gvir, while regional powers have condemned Israel's stance.

Kushner-Hamas talks in Egypt

• ▪Hamas officials told Jared Kushner they would only begin implementing the disarmament plan if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly commits to adhering to its terms.
• ▪United States negotiator Jared Kushner held a rare, two-hour meeting with senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in El-Alamein, Egypt, on August 16, 2026, to discuss a stalled Gaza ceasefire plan.
• ▪The meeting between Jared Kushner and Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt was attended by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Board of Peace Director Nickolay Mladenov, and officials from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.
• ▪Jared Kushner told Hamas leaders they must take tangible steps toward disarmament, including transferring governing authority to a Palestinian technocratic government, to build trust with Israel.

US 15-point Gaza peace plan

• ▪The United States-backed 15-point Gaza peace plan requires Hamas to gradually surrender its weapons to a Palestinian technocratic committee and relinquish any future governing role in Gaza.
• ▪Hamas has linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons under the peace plan to the international recognition and establishment of a Palestinian state.
• ▪Under the proposed 15-point roadmap, Israel would halt military attacks and gradually withdraw its forces from Gaza, paving the way for reconstruction and the deployment of an international stabilization force.

Israeli rejection of roadmap

• ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the 15-point peace plan, declaring that the Israel Defense Forces will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmed.
• ▪Israel expressed concern over the peace plan because it wants Hamas's surrendered weapons destroyed rather than stored, and opposes the involvement of Turkey and Qatar in compliance checks.
• ▪Eight nations—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia—issued a joint statement condemning Israel's rejection of the peace roadmap.

Netanyahu coalition election pressures

• ▪Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dismissed the peace draft as unacceptable and publicly called for carrying out targeted killings of 30 to 40 people in Gaza every night.
• ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces domestic political pressure ahead of an October 27, 2026, general election, with far-right coalition partners opposing concessions in Gaza.
• ▪Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party rejected regional criticism, claiming that Arab states want to topple Netanyahu in the upcoming election so centrist or center-left rivals will make concessions.

Trump's Board of Peace mediation

• ▪Jared Kushner, Nickolay Mladenov, and Tony Blair scheduled a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on August 17, 2026, to discuss corresponding steps to advance the peace plan.
• ▪The Board of Peace, chaired by Donald Trump, was established in February 2026 as an international organization to oversee the Gaza ceasefire and resolve global conflicts.

October 2025 ceasefire implementation

• ▪The Gaza ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, remains technically in place, though near-daily Israeli military strikes have continued since its implementation.
• ▪At least 1,262 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli military operations since the October 10, 2025 ceasefire came into effect, according to the Gaza health ministry.