Trump's envoy Kushner meets with Hamas leader in push to revive Gaza peace plan

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner met Hamas's new leader in Egypt overnight in a push to revive a Gaza peace plan rejected by Israel.

Two weeks after Hamas endorsed the latest stage of Trump's Gaza pla n by saying it would hand over weapons to a new governing committee, Kushner pressed for verifiable disarmament, a key demand of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu on 9 August rejected the Gaza peace plan , saying Trump's latest roadmap for peace was "unacceptable".

Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya took part in the discussions in the Egyptian Mediterranean city of El-Alamein, making his first trip since assuming leadership of the group in July .

In talks with Kushner, Hamas again voiced its commitment to the plan, a source familiar with the talks told Agence France-Presse.

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The group said afterwards that it had called on mediators and Trump's so-called Board of Peace to "compel" Israel to "approve the roadmap ... and begin establishing a timetable for its implementation".

A picture released by host Egypt did not include al-Hayya, but showed Kushner at a table alongside members of the Board of Peace, including former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Qatar and Türkiye, key mediators alongside Egypt, also joined.

The United States for years refused contact with Hamas, but the Trump administration has increasingly been comfortable with direct contact in hopes of ending the devastating conflict, negotiating the October ceasefire agreement.

Kushner on Monday will see Netanyahu, a longtime hawk who faces a tough re-election fight in October.

The three regional mediator countries and five other countries — Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Indonesia — on Sunday condemned Israel's rejection of the plan.

In a joint statement, they said "Israel bears direct and full responsibility" for obstructing peace, adding that its refusal "directly threatens to derail extensive efforts" by Trump.

In response, Netanyahu's Likud Party charged that "the Arab countries want to bring down the prime minister" in the election.

The inclusion of the United Arab Emirates is significant as it normalised relations with Israel five years ago.