WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, may visit Israel next week for talks on Gaza, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
The plans were reported earlier by Axios, which also said that Kushner was planning to meet mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye as well in Cairo next week. “We agree with the Israelis on the goal of disarming Hamas, but they have expressed concerns which are valid and we have been working through them,” the source said.
The goal of Kushner’s visit to Israel will be to “find a pathway to move forward with implementation of the 20-point plan” that Trump put forward for Gaza late last year, the source added.
Trump said last month a deal was reached for the complete disarmament of Hamas fighters and other armed groups in Gaza. Trump had said the deal would be carried out in phases, with Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza as disarmament proceeded and an international force working with a new Palestinian police force to secure the enclave.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking re-election at a vote due in October, has publicly rejected Trump’s plan.
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.
The Gaza ceasefire has been repeatedly violated, with more than 1,250 Palestinians, mostly civilians, being killed by Israeli attacks and four Israeli soldiers being killed since the truce began in October.
Gaza has been left devastated by an Israeli military assault that has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced the entire population and led to assessments of genocide by rights experts, scholars and UN inquiries.
Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2026
