Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a special negotiator, is scheduled to visit Israel and Egypt next week to work toward an end to the conflict in Gaza. The trip comes as a recently announced U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal has faced opposition from Israeli leadership.
Kushner, along with Nickolay Mladenov, high representative for the Board of Peace, and Tony Blair, an executive board member, are expected to arrive in Israel on Sunday. The group will then proceed to Cairo, where discussions involving a Palestinian technocratic group intended to govern Gaza under the proposed ceasefire have been ongoing for several months.
The Board of Peace, an entity established by President Trump, is overseeing the fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. An official associated with the board stated that the meetings are intended to demonstrate the commitment of Trump and the board to fostering peace, prosperity, and sustainable security in a demilitarized Gaza.
Under the proposed U.S.-brokered deal, Hamas would cede control of Gaza to allow for the reconstruction of the devastated territory, and the group would disarm. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly stated that Israel will not withdraw its forces until Hamas has completely disarmed, creating a public point of contention with the Trump administration.
The plan had been viewed as a potential pathway to ending the war in Gaza. It was built upon an October ceasefire that halted major military operations and secured the release of hostages. However, progress on other aspects of the agreement has stalled.