Kushner Meets Egypt's Sisi as Hamas Delegation Also Arrives for Gaza Talks

EL-ALAMEIN, Egypt —

Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and Middle East envoy, met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the Mediterranean city of El-Alamein on Sunday, part of an effort to keep Trump's Gaza peace plan alive after Israel rejected key parts of it. Hours earlier, a Hamas delegation led by the group's leader, Khalil al-Hayya, had arrived in Egypt for separate talks with the country's intelligence chief.

The meeting between Kushner and al-Sisi "emphasized the need for all parties to fulfill their obligations under the Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement," Egyptian presidential spokesperson Mohamed El-Shennawy said in a statement, according to El Mundo and France 24.

Hamas Reaffirms Commitment

Al-Hayya's delegation met with Hassan Rashad, head of Egypt's General Intelligence Directorate, El Mundo reported, citing the Egyptian broadcaster Al Qahera News. The two sides discussed how to finish carrying out the resolutions from October's Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit, which set a conditional ceasefire in Gaza, as well as Trump's 15-point roadmap for ending the war, according to the report.

The trip was al-Hayya's first to Egypt since he took over leadership of the Palestinian militant group in July, El Mundo reported. A Hamas official told the news agency AFP that the talks would cover Israeli violations of the ceasefire and efforts to push Israel to carry out the deal, and that al-Hayya would stress the group's readiness to implement it once Israel commits to doing the same, France 24 reported.

France 24 also reported that a meeting was being arranged between the Hamas delegation, Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, and US officials during Kushner's visit, to discuss what is holding up the agreement.

Kushner Heads To Israel Next

Kushner is scheduled to travel to Israel on Monday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, days after Netanyahu publicly rejected the roadmap, El Mundo reported. Trump's 15-point plan calls for Israeli forces to withdraw from Gaza, for Hamas and other armed groups to disarm, and for civilian control of the territory to shift to a governance committee.

Netanyahu has said Israeli troops will stay in Gaza until Hamas fully disarms, while Hamas has said Israel must withdraw first, according to El Mundo. American and Arab media reported that Kushner could meet directly with the Hamas negotiating delegation during his visit, El Mundo reported.

Hamas said in late July that it was ready to hand over its weapons to a new Palestinian technical committee that would govern Gaza under the plan announced by Trump's Board of Peace, France 24 reported. The ceasefire has held since October but has not fully stopped Israeli strikes in the territory, according to France 24.

Egypt is acting as the lead mediator in the Gaza war along with the United States, Qatar and Turkey, El Mundo reported.