Kushner meets Hamas chief, to press Netanyahu on Gaza roadmap

US negotiator Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday, in a push to advance a stalled 15-point, US-backed ceasefire roadmap. The meeting included officials from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. Kushner is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday alongside former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Nickolay Mladenov, director of the US-created Board of Peace overseeing the ceasefire.

The roadmap calls for Hamas to disarm and hand over governing authority to a Palestinian technocratic committee, while Israel halts attacks and gradually withdraws from Gaza. Netanyahu rejected the plan last week, insisting Israel will not withdraw until Hamas is completely disarmed. Hamas has linked surrendering its heaviest weapons to the establishment of a Palestinian state, a demand Netanyahu opposes.

Several regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia, issued a joint statement accusing Israel of obstructing peace efforts. They urged the Board of Peace and the US to take concrete measures to prevent any party from blocking the plan's implementation. Netanyahu faces an election on October 27, and his coalition includes ministers taking a hard line on Gaza.