Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with U.S. envoy Jared Kushner on Monday to discuss a proposed peace plan for Gaza. The meeting follows a Sunday session in Cairo where Kushner and Nickolay Mladenov, the U.S. Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, met with mediators and Hamas officials.
The Cairo discussions included the presence of Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya, according to a diplomatic source. This interaction represents the second known meeting between Kushner and representatives of Hamas, a group the United States has designated as a terrorist movement. Kushner previously met with the group in October 2025, an effort that contributed to a ceasefire and the release of hostages held since the October 7, 2023, attacks.
The current diplomatic push centers on a peace plan announced by Donald Trump in late July. The proposal calls for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. Under the plan, Israeli forces would withdraw from the enclave in phases as disarmament occurs, while an International Stabilization Force and a new Palestinian police force would assume security responsibilities.
The negotiations represent a significant test of diplomatic relations between the U.S. administration and the Israeli government. Prime Minister Netanyahu, who faces an election in October, has publicly rejected the plan. Conversely, Hamas has stated it agrees to the framework, though the group maintains that implementation depends on Israel first fulfilling commitments to halt attacks and withdraw its forces. The disagreement between the two primary local parties suggests potential delays in the phased rollout described by U.S. officials.
What happens next depends on the results of Monday's meeting in Jerusalem and the upcoming Israeli elections. While the plan was introduced in late July 2026, a specific effective date for the withdrawal of forces or the deployment of the stabilization force has not been reported. Observers will be looking toward the October 2026 Israeli vote to see if the political leadership or its stance on the U.S. proposal changes.