Whilst in Egypt, Kushner also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. According to Israeli media reports, Kushner, Mladenov and Blair will meet Netanyahu on Monday with the aim of advancing Trump’s plan.
The Israeli prime minister has said he wants a full Hamas disarmament first in order to implement the deal.
“Israel rejects the Board of Peace’s 15-point document on Gaza. The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed,” Netanyahu said last week defying Israel’s closest ally.
In a joint statement on Sunday, Egypt, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia said Israel’s rejection of the US plan threatened Trump’s efforts for peace.
The ceasefire, which came into effect on 10 October last year, remains in place.
However, the Israel Defense Forces have carried out several strikes in Gaza since then – the latest on “terrorists” in Khan Yunis and Nuseirat areas of Gaza – accusing Hamas of breaking the truce.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Israel responded to the attack by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 73,000 people have been killed, according to the territory’s health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
The UN estimates that about 1.9 million people – 90% of Gaza’s population – have been displaced since the war started.
