By Alexander Cornwell
JERUSALEM, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner on Monday, a day after he held a rare meeting with Hamas officials in Cairo, in a bid to push forward the U.S. president’s Gaza peace plan.
A diplomatic source said Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya was present at some of the meetings that mediators held with Kushner and Trump’s Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, in Cairo on Sunday.
It marks Kushner’s second known meeting with representatives of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group designated a terrorist movement by the United States.
Kushner previously met Hamas officials alongside U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in October 2025, helping clinch a deal that led to a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of remaining hostages seized by Hamas in the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Trump said in late July a deal was reached for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.
But Netanyahu, who is seeking re-election at a vote due in October, has publicly rejected Trump’s plan.
Trump had said the deal would be carried out in phases, with Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza as disarmament proceeded and an International Stabilization Force working with a new Palestinian police force to secure the enclave.
Hamas has said it agreed to the plan but the deal’s implementation would depend on Israel first meeting its own commitments, including withdrawal and halting attacks.
(Writing by Tom Perry; editing by Rami Ayyub)
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