U.S. envoy Jared Kushner met Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as attention shifts to the tougher second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, with a standoff over roughly 200 Hamas fighters trapped in Rafah tunnels emerging as the immediate test.
The Israeli government said the talks covered disarming Hamas, demilitarising Gaza and ensuring the group plays no future governing role in the enclave. An official briefed on the meeting added that discussions also addressed an international stabilisation force proposed under President Donald Trump’s plan.
Mediators are seeking a fix to the Rafah impasse, where around 200 Hamas fighters remain in tunnels in an area still under Israeli military control. Hamas wants safe passage in return for disarming, a step Israel has resisted. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff has framed a disarmament-for-passage arrangement as a test case for wider steps in the ceasefire process, but two Western diplomats said Israel is reluctant to allow movement either deeper into Gaza or to Egypt.
Longer term progress hinges on a transitional governing body for Gaza without Hamas involvement, the mandate and composition of the stabilisation force, the terms of its deployment, disarmament and reconstruction. Any force could require a UN mandate for countries to participate. The United Arab Emirates said it does not yet see a clear framework and would not take part under current conditions.
Both sides accuse each other of breaching the October truce. On Sunday, Hamas returned the body of an Israeli soldier killed more than a decade ago, but four hostage bodies are still believed to remain in Gaza. Israel says Hamas has stalled on handing over all 28 bodies listed in the plan, while Hamas says Israeli restrictions are obstructing aid. Local health authorities in Gaza report 244 Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes since the truce took effect, with two, including a child, killed on Monday after another fatality on Sunday. Israel’s military did not immediately comment.
Israeli officials say all policy moves on Gaza are being coordinated with the U.S. administration. Netanyahu told the Knesset that Gaza would be demobilised either the easy way or the hard way. Mediators warn that any attempt to force the tunnel fighters’ surrender could jeopardise the ceasefire’s second phase.
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