US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, agreed to the position of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue assassinations and military operations in Gaza until Hamas fully disarms, Tel Aviv claimed on Monday.
The announcement came after Kushner met with Netanyahu in Israel and a day after the American envoy met the political leader of Hamas in Egypt in a bid to revive a US plan to end the war in Gaza.
But as the two officials were meeting in Jerusalem, the Israeli military issued a warning saying Hamas was deceiving the US and mediators with a false appearance of moderation while maintaining their long-term objective of destroying Israel.
‘Lifeline’
According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, security assessments indicate that Hamas views ongoing diplomatic US mediation efforts as a strategic “lifeline” while simultaneously attempting to repair its military infrastructure in Gaza under constraints.
Israeli security officials cited by the newspaper said that despite visible pragmatic statements, Hamas has not abandoned its core goals and actively identifies international and US-backed diplomatic tracks as a way to navigate pressure.
The newspaper doubted Hamas will fully honor its promises to relinquish all its weapons. It said Hamas will attack Israel again when given the chance, meaning that Israel must stay alert.
While Kushner and Netanyahu met for four hours on Monday, the Israeli army spokesman confirmed that its forces continued to launch raids on several areas in Gaza , as well as in the Ali Taher heights in southern Lebanon.
Washington’s concerns
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Washington is increasingly concerned that Israel is trying to buy time, introduce new reservations and change the sequencing set out in Trump’s 15-point plan to end the war in Gaza.
“They feel Israel is playing games,” one source familiar with the details told the newspaper.
The message from Trump’s circle, according to sources cited by Yedioth Ahronoth, is essentially that Netanyahu must agree to the deal because the president has already delivered what Israel asked of him and now expects Israel to do the same.
People familiar with the president’s thinking also said Trump believes he has already given Netanyahu significant political support, including signals connected to the PM’s pardon request, and does not intend to keep paying for the same commitment.
Maariv cited US sources as saying that Netanyahu prioritizes his domestic political survival ahead of Israel's election in October, often discounting how his public rejections of US-led initiatives impact the Republican party, which is preparing for midterm elections in November with a slim House majority.
According to Haaretz, Trump has declined to endorse Netanyahu as a candidate in the October 27 election in part due to his poor showing in opinion polls and partially due to wartime disagreements.
Tougher message
According to people involved in the talks, the US wants Netanyahu to immediately implement a number of steps: halting attacks in Gaza, advancing withdrawals toward the yellow line, significantly increasing humanitarian aid deliveries and allowing reconstruction and civilian governance mechanisms to begin moving forward.
Unlike previous negotiation rounds, the message from Washington is now considerably tougher.
Trump wants agreements that have already been discussed to be implemented rather than reopened for another round of bargaining. A source familiar with the talks said the purpose is “to translate the roadmap commitments into concrete and verifiable steps.”
