Why Israel and Hamas Can't Agree on Who Moves First in Gaza
Benjamin Netanyahu told Jared Kushner in a three-hour meeting on August 17, 2026, that there can be no progress on a stalled Gaza ceasefire deal or an Israeli pullout from Gaza until Hamas first gives up its weapons, according to an Israeli official who said there was no breakthrough in the talks. The Guardian
The meeting was held in Israel. It came a day after Kushner met with Hamas's political chief, Khalil al-Hayya, in Egypt on August 16. At that meeting, Hamas insisted that Israel must first withdraw its troops from the roughly 60% of the Gaza Strip that Israeli forces currently occupy. The Kushner-al-Hayya meeting was confirmed by a regional official and a Hamas official, both speaking anonymously. Netanyahu has previously threatened to seize more territory beyond the 60% already under Israeli military control.
The meeting took place one week after Netanyahu forcefully rejected a US-backed 15-point plan for Gaza — a step-by-step roadmap toward ceasefire and rebuilding. An Israeli official said Netanyahu made clear that Israel's military would not withdraw and would keep operating in Gaza. Netanyahu also asked that a US general supervise Hamas handing over its weapons.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said both sides agreed to set up two working groups (small teams focused on specific problems). One of those groups would focus on disarming Gaza, and that task would need to be finished before any rebuilding starts. Netanyahu and Kushner agreed that reconstruction would not begin until Hamas was fully disarmed — including small firearms, not just rockets — according to Reuters. A Board of Peace official called the meeting "lengthy, in depth and very productive" and said the Israelis agreed to give the process a chance.
The Board of Peace is a group set up under the Trump administration to help mediate the conflict. The meeting also included Tony Blair and Nickolay Mladenov, both members of that board. Officials from three mediating countries — Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey — were present as well.
According to the Haaretz newspaper, the meeting ended with the US agreeing that Israel could continue carrying out military strikes in Gaza. That appears to contradict an earlier statement by Trump that Israel "should not be striking in Gaza."
On the Hamas side, an official said the group was committed to the process and waiting for mediators to start a 14-day negotiation period to work out a timetable for putting the roadmap into action. The gap between the two sides is straightforward but stubborn: Hamas wants Israeli troops out before it gives up weapons; Netanyahu wants Hamas disarmed before any pullout or rebuilding.
The broader context here is that the mediation effort has become very crowded. Kushner's back-to-back meetings with Hamas leaders in Egypt and Netanyahu in Israel put him at the center of a channel that now includes the Board of Peace, three Arab mediators, and the two sides fighting. The working-group setup gives everyone something to do, but it rests on a basic disagreement about who goes first that neither side has budged on.
The contradiction between Haaretz's reporting on continued Israeli strikes and Trump's earlier statement raises questions about whether the Board of Peace is saying one thing in public and agreeing to another in private. If that is the case, mediators will struggle to present a united front to Hamas. The 14-day negotiation period Hamas is waiting for has not started, and no date has been set.
Demanding that Hamas give up even light weapons sets a very high bar. It would mean the group surrendering not just rockets and heavy munitions but the personal firearms carried by its members. Whether that demand is a real starting position or a hard line that cannot change will determine whether the working groups actually produce anything.
For countries in the region, what happens in Gaza reaches beyond its borders. Egypt worries about security on its border with Gaza and the movement of people through the Rafah crossing. Qatar has hosted Hamas leaders and sent money to Gaza. Turkey has kept ties with Hamas's political side and has positioned itself as a go-between with access that Western governments do not have. Their presence at the meeting means any deal will need to satisfy not just Israel and Hamas but a wider group of regional players who can help or block implementation.
The working groups may produce a plan on paper, but the core fight over who moves first is unresolved. Netanyahu's request for a US general to supervise disarmament suggests he wants a real enforcement mechanism, not just a promise. Hamas's demand that Israeli troops leave first reflects a fear that giving up weapons while soldiers stay would leave them defenseless. Neither side has shifted.
