Trump’s son-in-law and special envoy says the US will not “restrict Israel’s right to defend itself” as attacks on Gaza continue. Published August 17, 2026 August 17, 2026 US envoy Jared Kushner has stressed that President Donald Trump’s administration will not allow reconstruction in the devastated Gaza Strip until Hamas hands over its weapons. Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, but the meeting produced no progress on implementing a road map for Gaza that Hamas had already agreed to. had agreed to disarm as part of a US-backed process that would include an Israeli withdrawal and an end to deadly attacks on Palestinian territory. But Israel rejected the proposal earlier this month, saying it would not make any concessions until Gaza is completely demilitarized. In the interview with Fox News, Kushner – whose family has deep personal ties to Netanyahu – appeared to adopt the Israeli point of view by emphasizing the full demilitarization of Hamas before the Israeli withdrawal. right to defend oneself if there are imminent threats,” Kushner said. “And then we had to clarify what that means.” Israel has been launching almost daily attacks on Gaza, killing at least 1,265 people in the enclave since a “ceasefire” went into effect last year. Overall, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed 73,399 Palestinians since October 2023. Earlier on Monday, Trump called for an end to Israeli attacks. “The Israelis should not attack Gaza. Hamas has agreed to lay down its arms,” the US president said. Over the past three years, the US has given Israel about $25 billion in military aid and defended Netanyahu’s government in international forums, including imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court officials investigating atrocities in Gaza. Kushner emphasized that the Gaza deal benefits Israel. “For Israel, we believe this is a win-win situation, because if Hamas really does voluntarily hand over weapons and tunnels over the next 60 to 90 days, that would obviously be the elimination of a huge threat to Israel’s security, an almost unthinkable achievement,” he said. “If you don’t follow through on your commitment now, everyone will see that you are not genuine about peace, and then Israel will have a lot more support from the United States and others to go and finish the job properly.” to the conflict. The US envoy said the talks were “very cordial” but that Washington would judge Hamas based on the group’s actions. “They said all the right things, but obviously, it’s very, very difficult to trust a terrorist organization that committed these terrible atrocities,” Kushner said.
