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White House special envoy Jared Kushner issued a direct warning to Hamas on Monday, declaring that the militant organization must fulfill its pledge to surrender weapons in Gaza or risk facing an Israeli military campaign with heightened American backing. In remarks to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, Kushner outlined the results of intensive diplomatic negotiations conducted over the preceding two days across Egypt and Israel aimed at advancing the Trump administration’s peace framework for the territory.
Recent weeks have witnessed continued Israeli military operations and territorial expansion in Gaza following an October ceasefire agreement, while Hamas has maintained its refusal to relinquish its arsenal. Kushner’s initial engagement came through meetings with Hamas leadership in Cairo, conducted alongside representatives of the Palestinian National Committee, a newly formed technocratic body slated to assume governance responsibilities in Gaza.
According to Kushner, Hamas representatives reaffirmed their support for both Trump’s 20-point peace initiative and a 15-point implementation roadmap negotiated over the previous four months that explicitly commits the group to weapons surrender. He cautioned that failure to honor these commitments would demonstrate bad faith and result in substantially increased international, particularly American, tolerance for Israeli military action to achieve complete victory.
The exchange marked only Kushner’s second documented direct encounter with Hamas leadership. Despite characterizing the discussion as cordial and noting that participants expressed appropriate messaging, Kushner acknowledged the fundamental difficulty of establishing trust with an organization responsible for significant civilian casualties and hostage-taking.
The administration’s “Board of Peace” proposal encompasses a staged ceasefire framework, complete Gaza demilitarization, Israeli force withdrawal, Palestinian technocratic governance structures, and international reconstruction initiatives. A critical dispute persists regarding implementation sequencing: Israel requires full weapons elimination before further troop reductions or rebuilding activities commence, whereas Hamas demands that withdrawal and disarmament occur simultaneously.
Following a four-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Kushner reported substantial progress on addressing Israeli concerns regarding the roadmap’s execution. He reiterated Washington’s determination to withhold reconstruction funding until demilitarization reaches completion while preserving Israel’s prerogative to respond to security threats.
Kushner projected potential weapon removal within 30 days and tunnel destruction within 60 to 90 days, characterizing successful disarmament as a transformative security achievement for Israel. The conflict, initiated by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault that resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli deaths and over 240 captured individuals, has persisted for nearly three years.
Kushner expressed optimism regarding President Trump’s capacity to broker a comprehensive settlement, noting the regional population’s exhaustion with ongoing warfare and receptiveness to alternative approaches. He emphasized Trump’s demonstrated track record of achieving previously improbable diplomatic breakthroughs in Middle Eastern affairs.
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