Hamas political chief Khalil al-Hayya has traveled to Cairo to meet Egyptian officials, including an expected meeting with intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, ahead of a planned Middle East trip by US envoy Jared Kushner. Kushner will visit Israel and Egypt with Nickolay Mladenov to push a Gaza proposal that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected. Violence persists in Gaza; Palestinian sources report more than 1,250 killed since the ceasefire last October and a total death toll since October 2023 above 73,300. Both diplomatic efforts and military tensions continue to shape the fragile situation.
Hamas Political Chief Khalil al-Hayya Flies to Cairo for Gaza Talks Ahead of Kushner Visit
Former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov (third from left) and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner (third from right) attend Trump's Board of Peace presentation in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2026 [Chip Somodevilla/Getty]
Hamas political leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya has flown to Cairo to hold talks with Egyptian officials, Hamas sources said, in a move timed ahead of an expected Middle East visit by US presidential envoy Jared Kushner.
This is al-Hayya's first trip to Egypt since he assumed Hamas's leadership in late July. Hamas sources told AFP and Anadolu that he is scheduled to meet Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad on Sunday morning.
Diplomatic Manoeuvring
Next week, Kushner — President Donald Trump's son-in-law and envoy — will visit Israel and Egypt in an effort to narrow differences over a Gaza plan that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected. Kushner is expected to travel with Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza.
Photo: Former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov (third from left) and US presidential envoy Jared Kushner (third from right) attend the Board of Peace presentation in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2026 [Chip Somodevilla/Getty].
Plan Rejected, Pressure Sought
The visit comes after Netanyahu dismissed a 15-point proposal under which Hamas had reportedly agreed to transfer its weapons to a new Palestinian governing committee. A senior member of Hamas's political bureau, Basem Naim, said the group was waiting for mediators and the US to put pressure on Netanyahu's government to adhere to the proposed roadmap.
"We continue to await pressure from the mediators and the US side on Netanyahu and his government to compel him to abide by the roadmap," Basem Naim told AFP.
Security Situation in Gaza
Violence has continued across the Gaza Strip. Palestinian health authorities reported that on Saturday Israeli fire killed two Palestinians and wounded 14 others after the Israeli military carried out air strikes, artillery shelling and demolitions in several areas of the territory.
According to Palestinian official sources, more than 1,250 people in Gaza have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire took effect in October last year, while the overall death toll since October 2023 has now exceeded 73,300.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said this week that Israeli forces would continue to hold positions in so-called "security zones" in Lebanon and Syria and maintain a military presence across multiple fronts.
The diplomatic exchanges in Cairo and Kushner's forthcoming visits aim to bridge gaps over the Gaza proposal, but key political disagreements — notably Israel's refusal to withdraw until Hamas is "genuinely disarmed" — remain a major obstacle to progress.
Help us improve.
