Netanyahu and Kushner agree to appoint an American officer to oversee Hamas's handover of its weapons
US envoy Jared Kushner said on Monday that he hopes to begin disarming Hamas within “30 days,” under the supervision of an American officer, following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking to a journalist from Fox News in Tel Aviv, Kushner said, “We may see progress in about 30 days alone, with the start of withdrawing part of the weapons as we hope, and perhaps also filling in some tunnels during the next 60 to 90 days.”
An Israeli official said that Israel and the United States agreed on Monday to appoint an American officer to oversee the disarmament of Hamas.
Kushner’s meeting with Netanyahu comes amid US efforts to advance the implementation of the peace plan presented by Trump, which the Israeli prime minister, who is engaged in an electoral battle, recently rejected.
Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, said, “We had a very good meeting today. We spent about four hours with him and his team, during which we reviewed all the details.”
Kushner had met on Sunday with leaders from Hamas in Egypt before heading to Israel.
The Palestinian movement agreed in late July to an American roadmap aimed at launching the second phase of the peace plan, which stipulates its disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, which it controls more than 60% of its land.
Kushner noted that he held a “very friendly” meeting with Hamas officials, but said, “It is very, very difficult to trust a terrorist organization.”
A senior Israeli official told AFP that Kushner and Netanyahu “agreed that the Gaza Strip will not see any redeployment or any reconstruction before Hamas is disarmed in all” of its territory.
The official added, “It was also agreed that the first step toward disarmament in the sector would be to demand that Hamas hand over its weapons to be taken out of service, under the supervision of an American officer.”
According to an official in this body who did not confirm the appointment of American officers to oversee the disarmament of Hamas, “every weapon seized will be completely dismantled so that it cannot be used again,” noting that Israel “reserves its full right to self-defense.”
Hamas, which has governed Gaza since 2007, announced in early July the dissolution of its civil administration, expressing its intention to transfer its responsibilities to the National Committee for the Management of Gaza, a body established by the “Peace Council,” composed of Palestinian technical cadres and tasked with overseeing the transitional phase in the Strip.
Following its meeting with Kushner, Hamas stated that it “has called on the brotherly mediators and the Peace Council to fulfill their responsibilities and compel the occupation to implement all its commitments in the first phase, end all violations, stop acts of killing and incursions, and approve the roadmap for the second phase of President Trump’s plan, and begin setting the implementation timeline.”
An official in the movement, who requested anonymity, said that “Hamas is awaiting the US administration’s response regarding Israel’s position on the agreement.”
He added that “Hamas has confirmed the movement and factions’ adherence to the roadmap agreement proposed by the Peace Council, and that the movement is serious about implementing what it has committed to in substance, not just in form, whether by restricting and storing weapons or relinquishing power, and its readiness to participate in elections.”
The United States has rejected any contact with Hamas, which it designates as a “terrorist organization,” for years, but in order to end this destructive conflict, the Trump administration has shown greater openness to direct communications.
Hamas and Israel are exchanging accusations of violating the ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025 in the devastated Strip, two years after a war erupted following the movement’s unprecedented attack on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023.
The number of Palestinian fatalities in Gaza has reached at least 1,265 since the ceasefire began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. Meanwhile, Israel reported the deaths of five soldiers and one civilian contractor working for the Ministry of Defense.
