Blair and Kushner meet Hamas leaders and Netanyahu over Gaza peace

Tony Blair and Jared Kushner met with senior Hamas officials in Egypt to discuss disarmament, a primary obstacle in the Gaza peace roadmap. The discussions focused on the requirement for Hamas to surrender its arsenal to facilitate reconstruction and a potential ceasefire.

Following these talks, Blair and Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. An Israeli official stated that parties agreed the first step toward demilitarization would involve Hamas handing over weapons for decommissioning under the supervision of an American general. Israeli forces would remain in Gaza until this process is complete.

During the meeting with Kushner, Netanyahu reportedly expressed firm opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state, stating his position was “100% firm on this.” These negotiations follow Netanyahu’s recent rejection of a 15-point, US-backed roadmap that proposed a phased Israeli withdrawal in parallel with the gradual disarmament of Hamas.