Kushner Meets Netanyahu in Israel in Effort to Break Logjam Over Gaza
New York Times · LC · trust 56/100
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has refused to pull back the country’s military until Hamas fully disarms. But the Trump administration is under pressure to show progress.
Listen · 3:15 min Share full article 91 Jared Kushner speaking about the Board of Peace, an organization backed by the Trump administration to end the war in Gaza, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January. Credit... Evan Vucci/Associated Press By David M. Halbfinger and Adam Rasgon
The plan had been stalled for months over Hamas’s refusal to lay down its arms, as well as Israel’s frequent airstrikes and military operations beyond the withdrawal line it agreed to in the cease-fire that was reached in October 2025 . Israel has also failed to meet its commitments to allow specified amounts of fuel and other necessities into Gaza.
Mr. Trump’s announcement last month that his Board of Peace had secured Hamas’s agreement to disarm briefly raised hopes for progress. A 15-point “road map” that Hamas agreed to called for the militant group to lay down its weapons in a phased approach that would be matched by Israel withdrawing from parts of Gaza.
But Mr. Netanyahu rejected the deal this month, insisting that Israel would not pull back within Gaza, let alone from Gaza, until Hamas had disarmed completely.
Mr. Kushner and members of the Board of Peace flew to Israel for Monday’s meeting after holding talks with representatives of Hamas , including its political leader, Khalil al-Hayya, on Sunday in El-Alamein, Egypt.
Hamas officials presented Mr. Kushner with a list of what they contended were Israel’s violations of the cease-fire, according to a Hamas official and two people briefed on the talks, and he promised to speak to Mr. Netanyahu about Israel upholding its end of the agreement.
Mr. Kushner, in turn, asked the Hamas representatives to move ahead with disarmament, the two people said. But they replied that Israel first needed to keep its commitments under the cease-fire, and they warned that the road map they agreed to last month was not open for changes.
The Board of Peace’s deal with Hamas says that, as part of the disarmament process, Israel should first uphold its side of the cease-fire. But political considerations are widely believed to be preventing Mr. Netanyahu from upholding all of Israel’s commitments under that deal.
The Israeli leader faces a tough campaign for a new term in elections to be held on Oct. 27, and his right-wing coalition is behind in the polls. Any concessions to Hamas or perceived softening of his posture toward Gaza could subject him to attacks from allies he considers vital.
Political considerations are also important for the Board of Peace and for the Trump administration. With the U.S. midterm elections approaching in November and the anniversary of the cease-fire in early October, a failure to reach an agreement that could pave the way for reconstruction in Gaza could be highly embarrassing for the board, for the White House and for its approach to the Middle East.
Aaron Boxerman and Abu Bakr Bashir contributed reporting.
David M. Halbfinger is The Times’s Jerusalem bureau chief, leading coverage of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. He also held that post from 2017 to 2021. He was the politics editor from 2021 to 2025.
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
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