TEL AVIV: Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Monday, a day after holding a rare meeting with Hamas' leader in Cairo in a bid to push forward the US president's Gaza plan. Trump had said the agreement would be carried out in phases, with Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza as disarmament proceeded and an 'International Stabilization Force'worked with a new Palestinian police force to secure the territory. But Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, has said the country's military will only withdraw once Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza have been completely disarmed.
Kushner was joined in the meeting with Netanyahu by Nickolay Mladenov, Trump's Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, the two sources said. However, there has so far been little progress, with Israel continuing to carry out strikes on Gaza despite agreeing to a ceasefire as part of Trump's plan.
A source said Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya had been present at some of the meetings in Cairo on Sunday that mediators held with Kushner and Mladenov. Hamas has said it agreed to the plan but the deal's implementation would depend on Israel first meeting its own commitments, including withdrawal and halting attacks. — Reuters
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