Netanyahu and Kushner talks fail to break Gaza deadlock
Benjamin Netanyahu told envoy Jared Kushner that Israel will not withdraw from Gaza or allow reconstruction until Hamas fully disarms, with no breakthrough reached after a three-hour meeting.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Monday with Jared Kushner, son-in-law and envoy of US President Donald Trump, but the talks produced no breakthrough on the stalled Gaza ceasefire deal. An Israeli official said Netanyahu made clear that Israeli forces would not withdraw from Gaza and would continue military operations there until Hamas fully disarms.
A day earlier, Kushner had met Hamas's political chief in Egypt, where Hamas insisted Israel must first withdraw from the roughly 60% of Gaza it currently occupies. Netanyahu had rejected a US-backed 15-point roadmap for advancing the ceasefire just a week before.
The meeting, which also included Board of Peace members Tony Blair and Nickolay Mladenov, ended with an agreement to set up two working groups, including one on disarming and demilitarising Gaza. Netanyahu's office described the talks as "deep and constructive," while a Board of Peace official called them "productive," adding that it now falls to Hamas to show whether it will comply.
According to Haaretz, the meeting concluded with the US agreeing Israel could continue strikes on Gaza, appearing to contradict Trump's own statement earlier the same day that Israel "should not be striking" the territory. Hamas says it has accepted the roadmap, including disarmament terms, but wants mediators to pressure Israel into signing as well.
Hamas is demanding Israel halt its attacks and pull back to the so-called "yellow line," a boundary that was never precisely defined. Israeli media report growing frustration from Trump over Netanyahu's reluctance to advance the ceasefire plan.
Several regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, issued a joint statement condemning Israel's rejection of the roadmap, saying Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing peace efforts. Since the ceasefire began on 10 October 2025, Israel has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded over 4,100, according to Gaza's health ministry.
