Kushner Meets Hamas Leader, Then Rushes to Netanyahu

Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior envoy, Jared Kushner, held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, just hours after a rare, direct meeting with a senior Hamas leader. The back-to-back discussions are part of Kushner’s push to sell Washington’s new peace plan for Gaza. The plan, which has been in the works for months, aims to end the blockade and rebuild the coastal enclave, but it faces deep skepticism from both sides. Kushner’s meeting with the Hamas representative marked the first known high-level contact between the Trump administration and the militant group, which Washington officially designates as a terrorist organization. According to sources close to the talks, Kushner sought to test Hamas’s willingness to accept long-term calm in exchange for economic relief. The Hamas official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the group’s leadership is “listening but not committing” to any proposal that does not include a full lifting of the siege. Following that meeting, Kushner flew to Jerusalem to brief Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister has publicly rejected any role for Hamas in Gaza’s future, but has privately signaled openness to a temporary ceasefire if it secures the release of Israeli hostages and prisoners. Neither side has issued an official statement on the content of the talks. A senior U.S. official described the day’s events as “a diplomatic marathon, not a sprint,” adding that Kushner will remain in the region for several more days to meet with Egyptian and Jordanian mediators. The peace plan, which has not been made public in full, is expected to include a major infrastructure fund for Gaza, funded by Gulf states, in exchange for Hamas’s disarmament. Analysts say that condition remains the biggest obstacle. “Kushner is trying to break a decades-old deadlock by offering money for quiet,” said a former U.S. Middle East negotiator. “But without a political horizon for the Palestinians, this is a band-aid on a broken leg.” The White House has not confirmed any breakthrough. A spokesperson said only that the envoy is “working around the clock” to narrow gaps between the parties. The talks come as violence in the region has spiked, with nightly clashes along the Gaza border and fresh rocket fire into southern Israel. Both sides accuse the other of provocation. Kushner is expected to return to Washington by the end of the week. Whether he brings back a signed framework or a list of unresolved demands remains unclear.