The Prime Minister's Office Did Not Provide Specific Details on Who Will Comprise the Working Groups or When Their Work Will Be Completed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, during Kushner's Middle East tour. The two agreed to establish two working groups on disarming the Gaza Strip and addressing humanitarian needs in the region, according to a statement from Netanyahu's office. The meeting, which included officials from the White House and the Peace Council, was described as "deep and constructive" by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

One working group will focus on disarming Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area, with the goal of completing this process quickly before reconstruction efforts begin. The second group will address sewage, clean water, and other public health needs of Gaza's population. The Prime Minister's Office did not provide specific details on who will comprise the working groups or when their work will be completed.

Kushner was accompanied by Nikolay Mladenov, former UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process who was appointed by Trump as high representative to the Peace Council, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Kushner had previously met with a Hamas delegation in Egypt. On the previous day, he and accompanying officials met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in El Alamein, Egypt.

The officials later met in Cairo with a Hamas delegation led by Hamas Political Bureau Chief Khalil al-Hayya. Egyptian Intelligence Chief Major General Hassan Rashad, Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, and a senior Turkish official also participated in those talks. An Egyptian diplomat said Hamas officials told Kushner they would begin implementing a disarmament plan if Netanyahu publicly announced he would comply with the Peace Council's disarmament plan terms. Netanyahu has rejected the Peace Council's 15-point plan for implementing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and said he could not change his position before Knesset elections on October 27.