Kushner Holds Talks With Netanyahu to Resolve Stalemate on Gaza

In a fresh bid to ease the deadlock

In a fresh bid to ease the deadlock over Gaza, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. The meeting came as Washington faces growing calls to demonstrate tangible headway in the region, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

The core sticking point remains Netanyahu's insistence that Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas completely surrenders its weapons. That position has clashed with international appeals for a ceasefire and a political pathway that could stabilize the enclave.

Kushner, who has taken a leading role in the administration's Middle East file, is said to have pressed for creative options that might bridge the gap between Israel's security demands and the urgent humanitarian needs of Gaza's civilian population. He did not offer a specific new plan, the sources said, but urged both sides to consider incremental steps.

The meeting followed weeks of quiet back-channel efforts

The meeting followed weeks of quiet back-channel efforts involving Egyptian and Qatari mediators, who have struggled to broker even a temporary truce. A senior Arab diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the current window as "narrow but open," adding that Washington's direct involvement could shift the calculus.

No immediate breakthrough was announced, and Netanyahu's office later reiterated that any arrangement must guarantee the full demilitarization of Hamas. Still, analysts see Kushner's engagement as a sign that the Trump administration is eager to claim a diplomatic win in the region before the end of the year. One former U.S. envoy noted that "the clock is ticking, and everyone knows it."