US envoy Jared Kushner in talks with Netanyahu on next phase of Gaza ceasefire

Second stage includes disarming Hamas and demilitarising Gaza Strip

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, second right, holding talks with US envoy Jared Kushner, second left. Photo: Prime Minister of Israel / X

US envoy Jared Kushner and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were on Monday discussing the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, as the first stage of the deal nears its conclusion.

Mr Netanyahu met US President Donald Trump's son-in-law in Jerusalem. Israel said it would grant safe passage to a clutch of trapped Hamas fighters – a current sticking point in negotiations – only if Mr Trump was on board.

The pair "discussed phase one, which we are currently still in ... and the future of phase two of this plan, which includes the disarming of Hamas, demilitarising Gaza and ensuring Hamas will have no role in the future of Gaza ever again," said Shosh Bedrosian, spokeswoman for Mr Netanyahu's office.

"Phase two also includes the establishment of the international stabilisation force ... the details of which ... are being discussed."

Mr Kushner, a top adviser to Mr Trump during his first presidential term, was a key architect of Washington's 20-point ceasefire plan. The first stage of the deal, which took effect on October 10, focused on halting the fighting, releasing all hostages and boosting humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Details of the second phase, including setting up an international security force, disarming Hamas and governing postwar Gaza, have yet to be worked out.

Mr Kushner is also negotiating to secure safe passage for 150 to 200 trapped Hamas militants in exchange for them surrendering their weapons, amid fears they would otherwise stage attacks on Israeli forces. Ms Bedrosian said that any decision on trapped Hamas fighters would be made in collaboration with the Trump administration.

A previous ceasefire agreement for Gaza in January 2025 fizzled out after an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, with Israel resuming waves of air strikes over Gaza. At the time, mediators were unable to bring Hamas and Israel to the table to negotiate troop withdrawal and future governing of the strip.

They face a similar challenge now, as the next stage of the agreement calls for the implementation of a governing body for Gaza and the deployment of an international stabilisation force.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas has released 20 living hostages. In exchange, Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees.

The agreement also included handing over the remains of 28 deceased hostages held in Gaza. Hamas has so far released the bodies of 24 captives, while four bodies remain in Gaza.

The Gaza Health Ministry said the Red Cross handed over 15 Palestinian bodies on Monday, raising the total number received to 315. For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the remains of 15 Palestinians.

Only 91 of the bodies returned so far have been identified, the ministry said. Forensics work is complicated by a lack of DNA testing kits in Gaza.

The handover came after Israel on Sunday confirmed it had received the remains of Hadar Goldin, a soldier killed in the Gaza Strip in 2014, closing a painful chapter for the country.

Around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, on southern Israel, which sparked the war. About 250 people were kidnapped. Gaza’s Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has risen to 69,176.