United States presidential envoy Jared Kushner is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance an American peace plan for the Gaza Strip.
The talks in Israel follow public statements by Netanyahu rejecting the proposal put forward by Washington.
Kushner, who serves as a senior adviser and is the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, arrived for the high-level meeting after holding talks in Egypt with senior leaders of Hamas on Sunday.
Hamas announced in late July that it accepted the American roadmap, which was designed to initiate the second phase of President Trump's broader initiative for the region.
The US blueprint requires Hamas to disarm in exchange for a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, who currently occupy more than half of the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu formally rejected the proposal several days ago, insisting that Israel will not withdraw any troops until Hamas undergoes a complete disarmament.
Disarmament demands and Gaza governance
During his discussions with Hamas officials in Egypt, Kushner insisted that the movement must fully disarm and agree to verifiable implementation measures, according to sources speaking to Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity.
A source familiar with the talks said Kushner stressed that Gaza must never again serve as a base for launchpad attacks against Israel.
The envoy also told the Palestinian delegation that Hamas will be barred from playing any role in the future governance of the territory.
Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 and carried out the October 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel that ignited two years of war.
In July, the movement announced plans to dissolve its governing body in Gaza and transfer administrative authority to the Gaza National Governance Committee.
The committee consists of Palestinian technocrats formed by the Peace Council to handle daily public services during a transitional period.
Following the session with Kushner, Hamas released a statement urging international mediators and the Peace Council to pressure Israel into accepting the American roadmap and establishing a strict timetable for implementation.
Regional diplomacy and shifted US approach
Before meeting the Hamas delegation, Kushner held discussions with representatives from the three primary mediating nations, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, according to Egyptian state-linked broadcaster Al Qahera News.
Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza from the Peace Council, also participated in the regional meetings.
The Peace Council was created by President Trump to oversee and execute his administration's peace framework for the Gaza Strip.
As part of the diplomatic round in Egypt, Kushner met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, while the head of the Hamas political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, conferred separately with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad.
The direct engagement represents a significant shift in diplomatic policy for Washington, which had long refused direct contact with Hamas due to its official designation as a terrorist organisation.
The Peace Council had announced on Friday that Kushner and Mladenov would visit Egypt and Israel to gather feedback on the proposal, with a council source stating that officials would listen carefully to concerns raised by all parties.
Meanwhile, a joint statement issued by eight Muslim nations, including Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, strongly condemned Israel's rejection of the American roadmap, warning that the Israeli stance undermines collective efforts to secure lasting peace.
Ceasefire violations and ongoing Gaza casualties
The intense diplomatic maneuvers come against a backdrop of daily ceasefire violations across the Gaza Strip, where both sides accuse each other of breaching the truce declared in October 2025.
Fresh violence was reported on Sunday near Nuseirat in central Gaza, where several people were injured in Israeli strikes on a residential home, according to civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal.
Bassal, speaking for the emergency service operating under the Hamas administration, reported additional injuries from Israeli fire targeting temporary shelters for displaced families near Khan Younis in the south.
Rescuers in Khan Younis also recovered the body of a child killed in strikes on Saturday, Bassal added.
The Israeli military confirmed it conducted strikes targeting two operatives belonging to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Khan Younis and Nuseirat areas.
Data from the Gaza Ministry of Health, which the United Nations considers reliable, shows that at least 1,262 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025.
Official records show that the Israeli military has suffered six fatalities in Gaza during the same period, including five soldiers and one civilian contractor.
