US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner said progress towards disarming Hamas and advancing a Gaza peace plan could begin within 30 days, following talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We could be seeing progress... in as little as 30 days, hopefully starting to take some of the weapons out, and hopefully, you know, filling in some of the tunnels as well,” AFP cited Kushner saying in Tel Aviv on Aug 17.
Kushner and Netanyahu agreed that an American general would oversee and verify Hamas’s disarmament, according to an Israeli official, while Netanyahu maintained that Israel would not withdraw from Gaza until the process was completed.
The understanding represents a renewed effort by the Trump administration to address Israeli concerns after Netanyahu publicly rejected the latest element of a US-backed plan aimed at ending the devastating Gaza war.
Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and longtime family friend of Netanyahu, met the Israeli premier in Jerusalem a day after holding rare direct talks with Hamas representatives in Egypt.
Hamas has publicly committed itself to the US-backed plan, although Washington is demanding that the group demonstrate its commitment to surrendering its weapons and renounce any future role in governing Gaza.
The two sides “agreed that no redeployment or reconstruction would take place in the Gaza Strip before Hamas is disarmed throughout Gaza”, a senior Israeli official told AFP.
“It was also agreed that the first step toward the demilitarisation of the Strip would be to require Hamas to hand over its weapons for decommissioning under the supervision of an American general,” the official said.
A roadmap agreed by Hamas on July 30 stated that weapons decommissioning would be supervised by the International Stabilization Force, a proposed multinational force intended to deploy to Gaza if security conditions improve.
The force is led by US Major General Jasper Jeffers.
Hamas had pledged to hand over its weapons to a new Palestinian governing body, a proposal that has drawn scepticism from Netanyahu but was hailed by Trump as a potential breakthrough.
An official with Trump’s Board of Peace, which is involved in implementing the plan, said every weapon collected would be fully decommissioned and could not be used again, while Israel would retain what the official described as its full right of self-defence.
“If Hamas resorts to terror, violence or attempts to rearm, Israel will retain the right to act accordingly,” the official said.
Other Board of Peace members taking part in the discussions included former British prime minister Tony Blair.
During his talks with Hamas representatives in Egypt, Kushner demanded that the group demonstrate that it was giving up its weapons and renounce any future governing role in the Palestinian territory, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
A Hamas official said the group, represented by its new leader Khalil al-Hayya, had told Kushner it remained committed to the Gaza plan and wanted Washington to exert pressure on Netanyahu.
The diplomatic push comes amid increasingly hardline rhetoric within Netanyahu’s government.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and facing a high-stakes election on Oct 27, has become increasingly willing to challenge Trump, despite previously highlighting his close relationship with the US president.
The Israeli premier has also expressed dissatisfaction with Trump’s decision to halt the US-Israeli war against Iran launched in late February and instead pursue a settlement with Tehran’s leadership.
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has meanwhile called for intensified killings in Gaza, saying Israel should kill 30 to 40 people every night in the territory.
“Not only those who endanger you right now. These are people who shouldn’t be alive,” he told a podcast hosted by a former Gaza hostage. “I’m paying them a compliment by calling them humans.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, struck a more positive tone during a meeting with Kushner, praising the Board of Peace’s efforts to secure what he described as a brighter and safer future for Israel, Gaza and the wider region.
Israeli military operations have killed at least 1,265 Palestinians since the ceasefire came into effect on Oct 10, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas. The figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
The Israeli army has reported five deaths among its personnel during Gaza operations over the same period. - August 18, 2026
