US envoy Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday as Washington pressed efforts to ensure the fragile Gaza ceasefire holds.
The truce, in effect since October 10, has largely halted the war that erupted after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
As part of its first stage, a series of prisoner and hostage exchanges have taken place in recent weeks.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed his meeting with Kushner but did not provide further details.
Israeli media said his visit coincided with ongoing US efforts to stabilise the truce and lay groundwork for its next phase.
The second stage of the truce aims to tackle some of the most sensitive issues: Hamas’s disarmament, Gaza reconstruction, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Hamas has repeatedly insisted that giving up its weapons is a red line.
Plans also include deploying an “international stabilisation force” coordinated by US troops to maintain security across the territory.
Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are potential participants, but the United Arab Emirates has indicated it is unlikely to join without a clear operational framework.
“Under such circumstances, the UAE will probably not participate in such a force,” Emirati presidential adviser Anwar Gargash told the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate Forum on Monday.
Since the truce began, Hamas has returned all 20 living hostages and the remains of 24 captives, including 21 Israelis.
Four bodies of hostages killed in the October 2023 attack remain in Gaza.
In exchange, Israel has freed nearly 2,000 prisoners and returned 315 bodies of Palestinian captives.
The latest of those were the remains of 15 Palestinians handed over by Israel on Monday after Hamas a day earlier returned the remains of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, killed in the 2014 Gaza war.
The latest of those were the remains of 15 Palestinians handed over by Israel on Monday after Hamas a day earlier returned the remains of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, killed in the 2014 Gaza war.
“We still do not feel safe. Shooting continues … we try to protect our children from psychological trauma and to help them forget the war and its effects,” said Salma Abu Shawish, 40, a resident of Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
“Life in Gaza is hard. We still lack food, and many families remain homeless. We only wish this nightmare would stop and never return.”
Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.
On Monday, the Israeli military said it killed two militants who approached the so-called “Yellow Line,” the boundary beyond which Israeli forces hold their positions in Gaza.
This Kushner prick is NOT representing US, shouldn’t even be in a US envoy. He is just another zionist plotting against USA and kissing a.. so he can develop Gaza once all palestinians are exterminated by the butcher sitting next to him who’s controlling Trump.