Kushner meets Egypt’s Al-Sisi amid tensions over Gaza plan

US negotiator Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in El-Alamein on Sunday, as tensions over a Gaza Strip plan continue to rise. The talks, which included Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Intelligence Chief Hassan Rashad, were brokered by Egyptian intelligence. Kushner is also set to meet with a Hamas delegation in Egypt, followed by a visit to Israel for further discussions. There, media reports suggest he may meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu had previously stated that Israel would not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is disarmed and opposes an independent Palestinian state. However, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim affirmed the group's commitment to the US-backed Gaza roadmap. Under the plan, a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is required, followed by an interim Palestinian administration responsible for governance and security, backed by an international stabilisation force.

Israel would subsequently withdraw from the Gaza Strip only after Hamas turns over its weapons, a process to be verified by the international community.

The road to peace remains fraught with challenges. UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt jointly condemned Israel's rejection of the roadmap and its stance against a two-state solution. They emphasized the urgency of maintaining US involvement to enforce Israel's adherence to the roadmap's terms.