Marathon US-Israel meeting produces optimism but no firm commitment to American plan for Gaza

A marathon meeting Monday between U.S. envoy Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the future of a Gaza ceasefire unclear, with officials describing moderate optimism but no concrete Israeli commitment to the latest U.S.-backed proposal. Marathon US-Israel meeting (apnews.com)

According to the report, Hamas had already agreed to the proposal, but American negotiators appeared to accept Israeli conditions that disarmament must occur before reconstruction. The lack of clarity extended to whether Israel would withdraw from areas of Gaza it currently occupies. Hamas’ agreement to disarm (apnews.com)

A central sticking point remains a dispute over sequencing: Netanyahu’s office rejected a 15-point U.S.-backed road map in which disarmament would be tied to steps toward Israeli withdrawal. The reporting also describes demands that demilitarization be prompt and completed before reconstruction proceeds. (apnews.com)

The disagreement also intersects with Netanyahu’s domestic political constraints. Another AP analysis says Netanyahu has insisted Israel will not withdraw from roughly 60% of Gaza until Hamas is “completely disarmed,” raising the prospect that other ceasefire elements—such as reconstruction and the deployment of international forces—could remain delayed. Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan (apnews.com)

The report frames the negotiations as directly affecting about 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, with uncertainty persisting over how quickly any staged implementation could begin. (apnews.com)