U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner delivered an ultimatum to Hamas on Monday: disarm as promised or face an Israeli military operation to finish the job, with full American backing.
Kushner spoke exclusively to Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst after completing high-stakes diplomatic meetings in Egypt and Israel over the previous 48 hours. The meetings were aimed at advancing President Donald Trump's Gaza peace roadmap as fighting and disagreements between Israel and Hamas continued. Israel has carried out air strikes and seized more territory in Gaza despite an October ceasefire, while Hamas has refused to give up its weapons.
Kushner met first with Hamas in Cairo alongside the National Committee, the new technocratic Palestinian government set to take over control of Gaza. He said the group reaffirmed its commitment to Trump's 20-point peace plan and to the 15-point roadmap that has been under development for the past four months, under which Hamas commits to giving up its weapons.
"Time will tell whether that's going to be implemented," Kushner told Yingst, adding that Washington feels it could be very close to knowing, and that significant progress is being made toward next steps.
Kushner made clear what happens if Hamas does not follow through.
"If they don't follow through now on their commitment, everyone will see that they're not genuine about peace, and then Israel will have a lot more support from the U.S. and others to go and finish the job in the appropriate way," he said.
It was only Kushner's second known face-to-face meeting with the group.
"They said all the right things, but obviously, it's very, very hard to trust, you know, a terrorist organization that committed these terrible atrocities," Kushner said. "But we had a very cordial meeting, and they said all the right things, and so we're going to give them a chance to perform. It's going to have to be based on actions and steps, and I hope it will be true."
The U.S.-led Board of Peace proposal centers on a phased ceasefire, demilitarization of Gaza, Israeli troop withdrawal, Palestinian technocratic governance, and international reconstruction efforts. The central sticking point remains the execution timeline. Israel demands full demilitarization before withdrawing further or allowing reconstruction, while Hamas insists withdrawal and disarmament must happen in parallel.
After meeting with Hamas in Cairo, Kushner traveled to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu, facing political pressure ahead of Israel's upcoming elections, has appeared cautious about phased compromises. He has stated there will be no withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.
Despite the friction, Kushner expressed optimism following a four-hour session with Israeli officials.
