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According to media reports, Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the issue during a meeting in Jerusalem on Monday...
US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, returned to Israel on Monday as mediators face a new obstacle in their efforts to take negotiations on the fragile Gaza ceasefire deal to the next, more complex phase.
The main sticking points remain unresolved, including the disarmament of Hamas, the reconstruction and future governance of Gaza, and the deployment of an international security force in the territory.
Without a timeline for the discussions, which are likely to require significant concessions from both Israel and Hamas, there are doubts whether any progress can be made.
Another challenge has recently come to light, involving dozens of Hamas fighters believed to be in tunnels beneath the southern city of Rafah, behind the so-called "yellow line," which marks the area under Israeli control.
Last week, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said an amnesty could be offered to fighters who surrender their weapons and that this could be a "model" for what Washington hopes to implement in the rest of Gaza.
Witkoff said 200 fighters were trapped, although that number has not been confirmed.
According to media reports, Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the issue during a meeting in Jerusalem on Monday.
Hamas has previously said the fighters will not surrender and has demanded that they be given safe passage, which has so far been refused by Israel.
An Israeli government spokeswoman said Netanyahu and Kushner had “discussed the first phase, which we are still in, to bring in the remaining hostages and the future of the second phase of this plan, which includes disarming Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza and ensuring that Hamas has no further role in the future of Gaza.”
The Gaza War was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Since then, more than 69,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which came into effect last month, focused on stopping the fighting, returning all hostages and ensuring an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Twenty live hostages and the remains of 24 dead captives have been released, while four bodies remain in Gaza.
In exchange, Israel has released 250 Palestinian prisoners from its jails and 1,718 Gaza detainees who were being held without charge or trial. It has also handed over the remains of 315 Palestinians from Gaza.
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, with Israel saying Hamas has deliberately delayed the return of the hostages' remains and Hamas saying Israel has killed at least 240 Palestinians and is restricting the entry of aid.
Hamas has previously rejected disarmament, saying it will only do so after a Palestinian state is established. Israel rejects any involvement in the governance of Gaza by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which is the body that governs parts of the occupied West Bank.
Countries are reluctant to commit troops to the multinational force without clear objectives, concerned that their soldiers could end up facing fighters from Hamas and other Palestinian factions.
The Israeli military currently occupies 53% of Gaza territory and is expected to withdraw further in the next phase of the plan.
With no sign of imminent progress in negotiations, a de facto partition of Gaza between an Israeli-controlled area and another ruled by Hamas was increasingly likely, sources told Reuters news agency, with talks on reconstruction apparently likely to be limited to Israeli-controlled territory.
Arab countries have already expressed concerns that the current partition could turn into a permanent division of Gaza.
Trump's plan does not include a path to Palestinian statehood, a concept that Israel rejects. /Adapted from BBC/
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