Kushner Meets Netanyahu in Push to Stabilise Gaza Ceasefire

US mediator Jared Kushner met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday to shore up the fragile US-backed truce in Gaza, a month after the ceasefire paused Israel’s devastating two-year campaign.

Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump and one of the architects of Washington’s Middle East peace push, discussed the next phase of Trump’s 20-point plan with Netanyahu, including Hamas disarmament, international security deployment, and a technocratic government to govern Gaza without Hamas participation.

“The talks focused on the most sensitive aspects of the agreement,” said Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian. Hamas, however, has consistently declared that giving up its weapons is “a red line”.

Netanyahu doubled down before Israel’s parliament, warning that Gaza would be “demilitarised, either the easy way or the hard way,” a remark widely seen as a threat to resume military action.

One immediate flashpoint remains unresolved: around 200 Hamas fighters still trapped in tunnels beneath Rafah, a southern Gaza city under Israeli control. Hamas has demanded their safe evacuation to central Gaza, but Israel refuses to grant it.

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff called the Rafah standoff “a test case” for the broader peace deal. A Hamas official confirmed negotiations were ongoing “to remove any pretext Israel could use to undermine the ceasefire”, though he ruled out surrender. A Palestinian source told Reuters that any attempt by Israel to forcibly extract the fighters could “collapse the entire truce”.

The ceasefire’s next phase includes establishing a transitional governing council for Gaza, one excluding Hamas, alongside a proposed international stabilisation force. That force would likely require a United Nations mandate, but enthusiasm among potential contributors remains muted. Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye have been floated as likely participants, while the United Arab Emirates has signalled reluctance.

“Under such circumstances, the UAE will probably not participate in such a force,” said Emirati presidential adviser Anwar Gargash at the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate Forum.