Hamas Chief Negotiator Khalil al-Hayya Travels to Cairo for High-Stakes Gaza Talks Ahead of US Envoy Jared Kushner's Visit

Hamas political leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya is scheduled to travel to Cairo for discussions with Egyptian officials, according to a Hamas source, as preparations are underway for a Middle East visit by US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Jared Kushner.

Marking his first visit to the country since assuming Hamas’s leadership in late July, al-Hayya is anticipated to meet Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad on Sunday morning, Hamas sources informed the AFP and Anadolu news agencies.

In the coming week, Jared Kushner, son-in-law to Donald Trump, will journey to Israel and Egypt to bridge gaps regarding a Gaza proposal that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously dismissed. Jared Kushner will be joined by Nickolay Mladenov, serving as the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza.

This diplomatic mission follows the public rejection by Benjamin Netanyahu of a 15-point roadmap under which Hamas had consented to surrender its weapons to a newly formed Palestinian governing committee.

“We continue to await pressure from the mediators and the US side on Netanyahu and his government to compel him to abide by the roadmap,” stated Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim to AFP on Friday.

Simultaneously, military operations have persisted in Gaza. On Saturday, Israeli fire resulted in the deaths of two Palestinians and injuries to 14 others following air strikes, artillery shelling, and demolitions across various regions of the strip, as reported by the territory’s Ministry of Health.

According to Palestinian official sources, more than 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire went into effect in October of last year, pushing the overall death toll since October 2023 beyond 73,300.

Benjamin Netanyahu formally rejected the Board of Peace plan the previous Sunday, asserting that Israeli forces “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed.” Furthermore, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced this week that troops will maintain positions in occupied “security zones” in Lebanon and Syria, indicating an ongoing Israeli military presence across all three fronts.