JERUSALEM, Israel: US envoy Jared Kushner arrived in Israel after rare Kushner Gaza peace talks with Hamas officials in Egypt, ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A Palestinian official told the BBC that Kushner met a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya on Sunday. The talks focused on implementing a US-backed Gaza roadmap.
The plan calls for Hamas and other armed groups to disarm. It also proposes an Israeli troop withdrawal and a new civilian Palestinian administration in Gaza.
Netanyahu rejected the 15-point document last week. He said Israel would not withdraw forces until Hamas fully disarmed.
Kushner also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday. Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and diplomat Nickolay Mladenov also joined the wider mediation effort.
Hamas later urged mediators and the Board of Peace to press Israel to approve the roadmap. No official account of the Hamas meeting had been released.
Read: UN Condemns Killings in Gaza Despite Fragile Ceasefire
Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia issued a joint statement on Sunday. They said Israel’s rejection threatened US-led peace efforts.
Read: Trump Forms ‘Board of Peace’ for Postwar Gaza, Invites Global Leaders
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes in Gaza resumed after a brief lull. Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire that began on October 10 last year.
