US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, has recently engaged in sensitive discussions with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, focusing on the implementation of the US-backed Gaza peace plan. This meeting, reportedly initiated on Sunday, represents a crucial step in navigating the complex geopolitical landscape following the Hamas-led attack on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023. A Palestinian official, speaking to BBC News, confirmed that Kushner’s son-in-law met with a delegation led by Hamas’s Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt. Last month, Trump’s Board of Peace established this international organization with the initial goal of facilitating peace in Gaza, though its scope has since expanded to encompass conflicts worldwide. The meeting, details of which remain largely undisclosed, is believed to be the first direct engagement between Trump’s team and Hamas leadership since the agreement of a ceasefire in Gaza’s Strip on September 26, 2023. Following the ceasefire, Israel rejected Trump’s 15-point plan, which included a complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, and also calls for Israeli troop withdrawal and rebuilding under a new civilian Palestinian administration. However, this proposal has been met with condemnation from numerous Muslim-majority countries, who issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s rejection of the Board of Peace’s 15-point document. Trump led the Board of Peace, a newly established international organization originally intended to promote peace throughout the region, but which has since expanded to include conflicts around the globe. Kushner’s meeting with Hayya is said to be the first at this level since the agreement of a ceasefire in Gaza, with the aim of advancing Trump’s plan. According to Israeli media reports, Kushner, Mladenov, and Blair will meet Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the implementation of the plan. Netanyahu has stated that a full Hamas disarmament is the first prerequisite for implementing the deal, a stance that has been sharply criticized by Hamas officials. In a joint statement issued by Egypt, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia, Israel’s rejection of the Board of Peace’s 15-point document threatened Trump’s efforts for peace. The ceasefire, which came into effect on October 10, 2023, remains in place, though Israel has conducted several strikes in Gaza since then, targeting suspected Hamas militants in Khan Yunis and Nuseirat areas. These strikes have been interpreted by Hamas as a violation of the truce, and the Israeli military has accused Hamas of breaking the truce. The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken by Hamas. Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, resulting in over 73,000 deaths and a significant displacement of Gaza’s population, with the UN estimating that about 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced since the conflict started. The United Nations estimates that around 1.9 million people – 90% of Gaza’s population – have been displaced since the war began.”}
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Source: BBC News
