Jared Kushner meets Hamas leaders in Egypt before seeing Netanyahu | The Refract
What the comparison reveals
What everyone says
Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's envoy, met with a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt (El-Alamein) before heading to Israel to see Benjamin Netanyahu, reversing the usual diplomatic order.
On August 9, Netanyahu publicly rejected the 15-point plan, conditioning any Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza on a complete and verifiable disarmament of Hamas.
The discussions focus on the two same sticking points: Hamas disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, as part of the broader post-war plan outlined by Donald Trump.
Where it breaks apart
— Rejection of the plan by Netanyahu — Eight Muslim-majority countries issued a joint statement condemning Israel's rejection of the 15-point plan and called on Washington to ensure its implementation; the Likud party responded that this pressure aimed to bring down Netanyahu in favor of other Israeli leaders.
— Israeli media's take on the meeting — Within the Israeli media landscape, the Jerusalem Post frames Kushner's visit as a step towards a shared goal with Washington, while Haaretz places it within the official rejection of the plan and documents the internal divisions it exposes, including Smotrich's call for 'total conquest'.
Conflits & Securite
Jared Kushner meets Hamas leaders in Egypt before seeing Netanyahu
published on
August 17, 2026
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Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's envoy for the Middle East, met with a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya, as well as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, on Sunday, August 16, in El-Alamein, Egypt, to discuss the disarmament of Hamas and Israel's withdrawal as outlined in the 15-point roadmap stemming from the US plan for Gaza. Kushner was then scheduled to travel to Israel on Monday, August 17, to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had rejected the plan the previous week. Eight Muslim countries issued a joint statement criticizing this rejection.
Khalil al-Hayya
Head of Hamas's political bureau since July 20, making his first visit to Egypt in this capacity.
Mediators were present
A Qatari diplomat and a Turkish official also attended the meeting, alongside Egypt.
The Sharm el-Sheikh agreement
The ceasefire signed in Egypt in October 2025, under American, Egyptian, and Qatari mediation, included three stages.
The anticipated measures
Verifiable disarmament, transfer of power to a Palestinian technocratic government, deployment of an international force
Understand the context
JUL 20, 2026
Khalil al-Hayya is elected as the head of Hamas's political bureau
AUG 16, 2026
Kushner meets with the Hamas delegation in El-Alamein, Egypt
AUG 16, 2026
Eight Muslim countries condemn Israel's rejection of the plan
Key figures
8 pays
Muslim countries that condemned Israel's rejection of the Gaza plan
