Kushner Meets Hamas: Secret Gaza Talks Begin
The meeting, confirmed by sources familiar with the talks, came as Kushner prepared for a separate session with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Jared Kushner held a rare direct meeting with Hamas leadership in Egypt, according to The Guardian, in what represents the most significant diplomatic contact between the Trump administration and the militant group since the Gaza war began. The meeting, confirmed by sources familiar with the talks, came as Kushner prepared for a separate session with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The encounter positions Kushner — Trump's son-in-law and designated Middle East envoy — as the central figure in what the White House hopes will be a path toward a workable ceasefire. Hamas has not formally recognised the authority of any Trump envoy, making the sit-down notable on its own terms, regardless of what was said inside the room.
The timing is not incidental. Oil markets remain unsettled, per Bloomberg, with Israeli attacks on Lebanon and vessel strikes in the Strait of Hormuz keeping pressure on supply routes. A Gaza ceasefire, however partial, would remove one variable from a region that has too many.
What Kushner carries from Cairo to Jerusalem is unclear. What Netanyahu does with it is less predictable still. The Israeli prime minister has repeatedly resisted deal structures that his own coalition partners would collapse over. Kushner knows this. He has sat across from Netanyahu before.
The question is not whether a deal is possible. The question is whether anyone in the room has the authority to make one stick — and whether Hamas believes that this time, someone actually does.
