The foreign ministers of eight Muslim countries on Sunday accused Israel of obstructing US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan by rejecting a roadmap for its implementation, while US envoy Jared Kushner pressed Hamas in Cairo to curb its armed presence and transfer governing authority in the Strip.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates called Israel’s rejection a “direct repudiation” of the peace plan that “jeopardizes its implementation, and fundamentally undermines the collective efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace.”
“Such rejection confirms that Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza” and the rest of the Palestinian territory, the foreign ministers said.
Hamas has accepted the roadmap, which requires the terror group to disarm. Israel objects to provisions allowing Hamas to relinquish its weapons gradually while Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza.
Israeli officials have also raised concerns over verification by mediators they distrust and provisions allowing surrendered weapons to be stored or decommissioned inside Gaza rather than removed or destroyed. Israeli leaders remain skeptical that Hamas will fully surrender its military capabilities.
A Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya met Kushner in Cairo on Sunday to discuss implementing the framework. Board of Peace senior envoys Nickolay Mladenov and Tony Blair joined Kushner, along with senior diplomats from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.
Al-Hayya told Kushner that Hamas remained committed to the plan but would implement it only if Israel agreed to withdraw its forces, citing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public rejection of the proposal, the Arab diplomat said.
Netanyahu has maintained that Israel will not withdraw until Hamas is fully disarmed, although a Board of Peace source told The Times of Israel that he has privately demonstrated greater flexibility.
Kushner sought to assure al-Hayya that the US-controlled Board of Peace would press Israel to halt strikes and gradually withdraw once Hamas begins surrendering its weapons.
At the same time, Kushner pressed Hamas to end displays of armed force across Gaza, including deploying uniformed, armed members in the streets, the Arab diplomat said. He also urged al-Hayya’s delegation to facilitate the transfer of governing authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the new Palestinian technocratic government overseen by the Board of Peace.
