Kushner talks yield demilitarisation progress: Israel
US special envoy Jared Kushner has held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, with Israel saying agreements had been reached on steps towards disarming Hamas and implementing a US-backed roadmap for the post-war Gaza Strip.
The hours-long meeting on Monday came after Kushner held rare talks with representatives of Hamas in Egypt over the weekend.
Netanyahu's office described the discussions as "deep and constructive" and said the two sides had agreed to establish two working groups, one focused on demilitarising the Gaza Strip and the other on sanitation, clean drinking water and other public health issues.
According to Israel, both sides agreed that demilitarisation should be completed "before any reconstruction" of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip begins.
Kushner, who is US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, was accompanied by Nikolay Mladenov, a top official with Trump's Board of Peace.
On Sunday, Kushner discussed the future of the enclave with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and representatives of Hamas in Egypt.
A little over a week ago, Netanyahu rejected the US-backed 15-point plan for the Gaza Strip drawn up by the Board of Peace.
Trump formally launched the body earlier this year, with overseeing the Gaza Strip's post-war transition among its main tasks.
"The Israeli military will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas has been disarmed," Netanyahu said at the time.
He also reiterated his opposition to an independent Palestinian state.
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim, by contrast, said Hamas remained committed to the Gaza roadmap.
Following Monday's meeting with Kushner, a senior Israeli government official said Hamas would be required to hand over all its weapons for destruction as a first step towards demilitarising the strip.
The process would be overseen by US General Jasper Jeffers, commander of the international stabilisation force currently being established, the official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said.
However, a fundamental disagreement remains over whether Hamas will actually disarm.
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