Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, travelled to Israel to hold lengthy discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The talks come after Kushner met a Hamas delegation in Egypt, signalling Trump’s continued interest in the U.S. Board of Peace plan.
Netanyahu’s office said the meetings were “deep and constructive” and that a joint focus would be placed on disarmament of Gaza, stating that no reconstruction would proceed without Hamas’s full disarmament. Two working groups were agreed upon: one on the disarmament and demilitarisation of Gaza, and the other on sanitation, clean water and public health for Gaza’s residents.
The Board of Peace, chaired by Trump and originally aiming at Gaza, broadened its scope to other conflicts. Nickolay Mladenov and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair also met Netanyahu during the day, underscoring the international nature of the effort.
Hamas, which had urged the Board of Peace to compel Israel to approve the roadmap after Kushner’s meeting, agreed to give up its weapons in exchange for a phased Israeli troop withdrawal. The plan also calls for any weapons surrendered by Hamas to be destroyed rather than stored by a Palestinian committee.
Israel, however, remains skeptical that Hamas will fully disarm, a view echoed by many Israelis and reinforced by senior Israeli officials such as Itamar Ben‑Gvir, who has called for targeted eliminations in Gaza.
The broader international community—Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and others—have expressed concerns that Israel’s rejection of the U.S. plan threatens the fragile ceasefire and the prospects of peace. While ceasefire violations continue, the U.S. and its allies see the Kandura meetings as a potential pivot back to diplomatic solutions.
As the ceasefire remains in place, the Israeli Defense Forces continue daily strikes, and the humanitarian toll mounts with over 1,200 civilian deaths reported by the Hamas-run health ministry. The need for a robust, enforceable disarmament agreement remains central to any lasting peace in Gaza.
