Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US envoy Jared Kushner agreed Monday that no Israeli redeployment or reconstruction will take place in Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed, with the first step being the handover of weapons for decommissioning under the supervision of an American general, according to a senior Israeli official who spoke to AFP.
Kushner met Netanyahu in Jerusalem a day after rare direct talks in Egypt with Hamas’s new leader Khalil al-Hayya. Hamas has publicly committed to the Trump-backed plan and disarmament, winning praise from President Trump, but faces deep skepticism in Israel. Netanyahu had publicly rejected the latest part of the US plan before Kushner’s arrival.
In the Egypt talks, Kushner demanded verifiable steps on disarmament and that Hamas renounce any future role in governing Gaza. A Hamas official said the group reaffirmed its commitment and called for pressure on Netanyahu. Kushner was joined by other members of Trump’s Board of Peace, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
