US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as Washington intensified efforts to revive its stalled roadmap for Gaza, a day after the American delegation held rare direct talks with senior Hamas leaders in Egypt. Kushner was joined by Nickolay Mladenov, Director-General of the US-backed Board of Peace, as the delegation sought to narrow differences over the next phase of the Gaza agreement.
The diplomatic push centres on a 15-point US-backed roadmap intended to move Gaza towards a more durable settlement. Among its central elements are the disarmament of Hamas, further withdrawal of Israeli forces, the establishment of alternative Palestinian civilian governance and arrangements for Gaza’s reconstruction.
The meeting with Netanyahu followed intensive discussions in Egypt involving Kushner, other international representatives, regional mediators and Hamas officials.
Washington is attempting to overcome disagreements over the sequence in which Hamas would disarm and Israeli troops would withdraw from Gaza.
Netanyahu has maintained that Israeli forces cannot complete their withdrawal until Hamas is fully disarmed. Hamas, meanwhile, has sought firm guarantees on an Israeli withdrawal and an end to military operations as part of any process leading to the surrender or decommissioning of its weapons.
The dispute has emerged as one of the biggest obstacles to implementing the next stage of the US-backed framework.
Kushner’s talks with Netanyahu were aimed at hearing Israel’s concerns and finding a formula capable of moving the process forward.
The Israeli discussions came a day after Kushner held an unusual meeting with senior Hamas representatives in Egypt.
The Hamas delegation was headed by Khalil al-Hayya. The discussions represented a significant diplomatic development given Washington’s designation of Hamas as a terrorist organisation and its traditional reliance on regional intermediaries for communications with the group.
Kushner’s meeting with Hamas reportedly lasted more than two hours and focused heavily on implementation of the Gaza roadmap and the issue of disarmament.
The talks also involved Mladenov, while former British prime minister Tony Blair has been involved in the broader diplomatic effort through the Board of Peace.
Hamas has indicated its willingness to move towards demilitarisation under an agreed framework but has linked such steps to Israeli commitments, including withdrawal and an end to attacks.
At the heart of the diplomatic impasse is disagreement over which side should act first.
The US-backed roadmap envisages Hamas and other armed groups giving up their weapons alongside a phased Israeli military withdrawal. Security responsibilities would eventually be transferred under arrangements involving a new Palestinian police structure and international supervision.
Israel, however, has insisted that Hamas must first be completely disarmed before its forces withdraw.
The Hamas leadership has argued that disarmament cannot be separated from guarantees concerning Israel’s military presence and Gaza’s future political and security arrangements.
The opposing positions have slowed implementation despite months of diplomatic efforts involving the United States, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and other regional players.
The latest negotiations are part of attempts to build on the ceasefire framework reached in 2025, which led to hostage and prisoner exchanges and opened the way for discussions about Gaza’s longer-term future.
The broader American plan envisages removing Hamas from Gaza’s governing structure and transferring civilian administration to a Palestinian technocratic body.
An international mechanism is also expected to play a role in security and reconstruction as Israeli forces progressively withdraw.
Rebuilding Gaza remains another enormous challenge after years of conflict caused widespread destruction of homes and critical infrastructure.
The latest round of meetings signals a renewed US effort to prevent the political process from collapsing amid continuing Israeli strikes and deep mistrust between the parties.
Kushner’s decision to engage directly with both Hamas and Netanyahu underscores Washington’s attempt to address objections on both sides rather than relying entirely on indirect negotiations.
However, substantial differences remain over disarmament, Israeli withdrawal and the sequence in which the roadmap would be implemented.
The outcome of the latest diplomatic push could therefore determine whether the US-backed framework advances towards its next phase or remains stalled by the same fundamental disagreements that have frustrated previous negotiations.