Jared Kushner sat down with Hamas leaders in Egypt on Sunday, 16 August 2026, in the most significant direct contact between the group and a senior Trump envoy since the ceasefire agreement last October. The talks, held in the Mediterranean coastal city of El-Alamein, centred on whether Hamas would commit to concrete disarmament — and whether Kushner could then persuade an Israeli prime minister who has already said no.
The meeting took place in El-Alamein and drew an unusually broad diplomatic gathering. Nickolay Mladenov, high representative of the Board of Peace, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair — also a board member — joined Kushner. Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, Qatari diplomat Ali al-Thawadi, and a senior Turkish official were also present.
For al-Hayya, Sunday's talks marked his first trip abroad since he assumed Hamas leadership in July 2026.
Kushner holds no official US government position but has been tapped by President Donald Trump alongside Steve Witkoff to lead diplomacy on Gaza and other matters. In El-Alamein, he pressed Hamas for "concrete, verifiable steps" on disarmament and conveyed that "Gaza can never again be a source of terror for Israel."
The Board of Peace's roadmap calls on Hamas to decommission its weapons and military infrastructure, allow an International Stabilization Force to deploy, and transfer governing authority to a Palestinian technocratic administration.
Hamas reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire agreement and the roadmap during the talks. But it set a precondition: Israel must halt its attacks and withdraw forces beyond the so-called "yellow line" dividing Gaza before Hamas begins implementing disarmament steps.
Two weeks before Sunday's meeting, Hamas had moved to signal flexibility, endorsing the latest stage of Trump's Gaza plan by agreeing to hand over weapons to a new governing committee.
The harder obstacle is on the Israeli side. Netanyahu publicly rejected the US-backed 15-point roadmap last week — an unusual act of defiance toward the Trump administration. He faces Israeli elections in October and intense pressure from right-wing coalition partners opposed to any significant concessions.
The rebuff drew a sharp regional response. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates led a joint statement condemning Israel's rejection. Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the ceasefire's original mediators also signed on.
On the sidelines in Egypt, Kushner separately met President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi. Those talks emphasised "the need for all parties to fulfil their obligations under the Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement."
Kushner was expected to travel to Israel on Monday to meet Netanyahu, with the aim of discussing what the Board of Peace has described as "corresponding steps" Israel must take. The precise scope of those demands has not been disclosed.
The ceasefire was declared last October, ending more than a year of major military operations in Gaza. Its second phase — centred on Hamas disarmament and an Israeli troop withdrawal — has been stalled for more than ten months. Whether Kushner's shuttle diplomacy can break that deadlock, with elections weeks away in Israel and both sides locked into preconditions, remains to be seen.
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