Kushner Meets Hamas Leaders in Cairo, Breaking Longstanding US Contact Ban

US envoy Jared Kushner met Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on August 16, joined by Trump peace board officials Nickolay Mladenov and Tony Blair, plus Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators. The US had for years refused contact with Hamas, which it designates a terrorist organization. Neither side publicly confirmed the meeting, which aimed to advance a 15-point Gaza disarmament roadmap that Israel's Netanyahu has rejected as "unacceptable." Kushner is scheduled to meet Netanyahu next.