For more than ten months, two million people in Gaza have lived inside a ceasefire that does not hold, caught between an Israeli government that will not withdraw until Hamas disarms and a Hamas that will not disarm until Israel withdraws. On Monday in Jerusalem, three hours of talks between Benjamin Netanyahu and Jared Kushner ended where they began — with no movement, no breakthrough, and a fifteen-point roadmap that Israel had already rejected lying untouched on the table. What is unfolding is not merely a diplomatic stalemate but an older, harder question about whether the architecture of
Netanyahu rebuffs Kushner on Gaza deal, demands Hamas disarm first
Over 1,200 Palestinians killed and 4,100 wounded in Gaza since ceasefire agreement; 2 million civilians affected by ongoing occupation and stalled reconstruction.
Neither believes the other will follow through once weapons are handed over
Mark
Why does Netanyahu insist on disarmament first? What's the strategic logic?
Mimi
He's saying you can't have Israeli soldiers leave if Hamas still has weapons—that it's a security risk. But it's also a way to maintain leverage. If he controls the sequence, he controls the timeline.
Mark
And Hamas won't accept that?
Mimi
Hamas sees it differently. They say Israel will never actually leave if they disarm first. Once they hand over weapons, they have no bargaining power. So they want Israeli withdrawal as the first step.
Mark
So both sides are trapped by distrust.
Mimi
Exactly. Neither believes the other will follow through. And meanwhile, two million people are living under occupation with no reconstruction, no real path forward.
Mark
What does Trump's frustration actually change?
Mimi
That's unclear. He's frustrated, but he's also apparently agreed Israel can keep striking. So his frustration hasn't translated into pressure that moves the needle.
Mark
Is there any way out of this?
Mimi
Only if one side gives ground on sequencing, or if there's a mediator with enough leverage to force a compromise. Right now, neither exists.
El Pulso
- A 10-month deadlock deepened Monday when Netanyahu flatly restated his precondition — full Hamas disarmament before a single Israeli soldier leaves Gaza — despite three hours of talks with Trump envoy Jared Kushner.
- Israeli forces now occupy roughly 60% of Gaza, over 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, and reconstruction has not begun for the 2 million civilians living under occupation.
- A coalition of five regional powers — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia — issued a joint condemnation, declaring Israel responsible for obstructing peace and demanding the Trump administration act.
- The sequencing dispute is the knot no one can untie: Hamas has accepted the roadmap and offered to disarm, but only after Israeli withdrawal; Netanyahu demands the opposite, and Israeli forces have already pushed beyond the agreed boundary line.
- Trump himself is reportedly frustrated with Netanyahu, yet US envoys appear to have left Monday's meeting having conceded that Israel could continue striking Gaza — apparently contradicting the president's own public statement that day.
For more than ten months, two million people in Gaza have lived inside a ceasefire that does not hold, caught between an Israeli government that will not withdraw until Hamas disarms and a Hamas that will not disarm until Israel withdraws. On Monday in Jerusalem, three hours of talks between Benjamin Netanyahu and Jared Kushner ended where they began — with no movement, no breakthrough, and a fifteen-point roadmap that Israel had already rejected lying untouched on the table. What is unfolding is not merely a diplomatic stalemate but an older, harder question about whether the architecture of peace can be built when the parties disagree on which stone must be laid first.
Benjamin Netanyahu met with Jared Kushner for three hours on Monday and left the table having changed nothing. The Israeli prime minister's position was the same as it has been for ten months: Hamas must fully disarm before Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza. An Israeli official confirmed afterward that there had been no breakthrough, and that IDF operations in the strip would continue.
The Trump administration had arrived with a fifteen-point roadmap — developed through its self-styled Board of Peace, which includes Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair — designed to unfreeze the stalled ceasefire and move toward withdrawal and reconstruction. Netanyahu had rejected it a week earlier. He rejected it again on Monday, though his office described the conversation as "deep and constructive."
The impasse turns on sequencing. Hamas has accepted the roadmap and says it will disarm — but only after Israel withdraws first. Israel currently controls roughly sixty percent of Gaza and, by Netanyahu's own stated ambition, intends to expand that to seventy percent. A day before the Kushner meeting, Hamas political chief Khalil al-Hayya told the envoy in Egypt that Israel must halt attacks and pull back to an agreed boundary line before any implementation could begin. That line, never precisely defined, has already been crossed.
The human cost accumulates in the gap between positions. Since the ceasefire was agreed in October 2025, more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed and over 4,000 wounded. Two million people remain under occupation, and reconstruction has not started.
Regional frustration has now become formal condemnation. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia — joined by ceasefire mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey — issued a joint statement holding Israel responsible for obstructing peace and calling on the Trump administration to take concrete steps against any party blocking implementation.
Trump himself is said to be increasingly unhappy with Netanyahu's intransigence. Yet the outcome of Monday's meeting suggested the US had conceded ground rather than gained it — reportedly agreeing that Israel could continue striking Gaza, in apparent contradiction of a statement Trump had made earlier that same day. Analysts watching the process have noted that relying on envoys without deep diplomatic experience has made American credibility easier to erode, and the people waiting for resolution easier to ignore.
Benjamin Netanyahu sat down with Jared Kushner on Monday for three hours of talks that, by all accounts, produced no movement. The Israeli prime minister had a single message: Israeli troops would not leave Gaza until Hamas laid down its weapons first. An Israeli official made clear afterward that there had been no breakthrough, that Netanyahu had restated his position with force, and that the IDF would keep operating in the strip.
This was the latest collision in a negotiation that has been stuck for more than ten months. The Trump administration, working through its self-styled Board of Peace—which includes Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and others—had put forward a fifteen-point roadmap aimed at unfreezing the ceasefire deal and moving toward Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction. Netanyahu had rejected it outright a week before the Kushner meeting. Now, sitting across from Trump's son-in-law, he rejected it again, though his office called the discussion "deep and constructive."
The sequencing problem is the heart of the impasse. Under the roadmap, Israel is supposed to gradually withdraw from Gaza. Hamas, for its part, has agreed to the roadmap and says it will disarm—but only after Israel pulls out first. Netanyahu demands the opposite: full disarmament before any withdrawal. Israeli forces currently occupy roughly sixty percent of the strip. A day before meeting Kushner, the envoy had sat down with Hamas's political chief, Khalil al-Hayya, in Egypt. Hamas reiterated its position: Israel must halt its attacks and withdraw to what is called the yellow line—a boundary that was never precisely defined and that Israeli forces have already moved beyond—before implementation of any agreement can begin.
The human stakes are immense. Two million people live in Gaza. Since the ceasefire was agreed to in October 2025, Israeli forces have killed more than twelve hundred Palestinians and wounded more than four thousand, according to Gaza's health ministry. The territory remains largely under Israeli control, and reconstruction has not begun. Netanyahu has previously said he intends to expand Israeli control to seventy percent of Gaza, "tightening the grip" on Hamas from all directions.
Regional powers have grown exasperated. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia issued a joint statement condemning Israel's rejection of the roadmap. "Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza," they said, calling on the Board of Peace and the Trump administration to take concrete steps to prevent any party from blocking implementation. The ceasefire mediators—Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey—were present at the Monday meeting and added their names to the statement.
Trump himself appears frustrated. According to Israeli media reports, the president has grown increasingly unhappy with Netanyahu's refusal to advance the ceasefire plan, suggesting the Israeli leader has not lived up to his commitments. Kushner had been expected to bring a list of concrete measures the Trump administration wanted to see: a halt to Israeli attacks, military withdrawal, and a significant increase in humanitarian aid. Instead, according to Israeli media accounts, the US ended up agreeing that Israel could continue striking Gaza—apparently contradicting a statement Trump had made earlier that day saying Israel "should not be striking."
The reliance on Kushner and other inexperienced envoys to manage critical negotiations—not just in Gaza but across the Middle East and Ukraine—has drawn criticism from analysts who see it as undermining American diplomatic credibility. Allies and adversaries alike have learned to game these amateur negotiators. The result is a process that moves slowly, if at all, while the people caught in the middle wait.
Citas Notables
Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza— Joint statement from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and ceasefire mediators
The prime minister and Board of Peace had deep and constructive discussions. It was agreed to establish two working groups, one on disarmament and demilitarisation of Gaza— Netanyahu's office statement
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