Trump envoys meet mediators in Cairo as Israel resumes Gaza airstrikes

According to a diplomatic source cited in the reporting, Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner, alongside Nickolay Mladenov—who serves as the administration's Board of Peace envoy for Gaza—held a series of discussions on Sunday with mediators from Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar. Crucially, Hamas officials were present at some of these sessions, engaging both with the regional mediators and directly with the U.S. Representatives.

Prior to these multi-party talks, Kushner held a separate meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose office confirmed the encounter. Additionally, senior Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya met in Cairo with Egypt's intelligence chief, Hassan Rashad. A Hamas spokesperson in Gaza, Hazem Qassem, stated that Al-Hayya would use the opportunity to brief mediators on what the group considers to be ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire.

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The diplomatic push centres on a framework that Trump announced last month, claiming a breakthrough after both Israel and Hamas had agreed in principle to end the war. The comprehensive plan calls for an immediate cessation of military operations in Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave, and the subsequent reconstruction of the territory under a newly established civilian Palestinian administration.

Hamas previously indicated it accepted the plan primarily to prevent a full-scale resumption of the war, though the group maintains that the actual implementation of the deal hinges on Israel fulfilling its own obligations first, specifically halting attacks and withdrawing its forces. However, deep friction remains. A senior Israeli official noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly declared the latest U.S. Roadmap to be "unacceptable" on August 9.

Israel harbours serious concerns regarding a specific U.S. Demand. According to the senior Israeli official, Washington is pressing for an end to targeted assassinations of Hamas militants inside Gaza while the group attempts to rebuild its military capabilities.

Even as the talks proceeded in Cairo, violence flared on the ground. After a period earlier in the month where attacks were scaled back, Israeli airstrikes have resumed over the past few days. The Israeli military stated that its aircraft struck two militants belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Khan Younis and Nuseirat. Medics in the enclave reported that at least five Palestinians were injured when a strike hit a tent encampment in Khan Younis, with one of the wounded individuals later dying from their injuries at Nasser hospital.

In a separate operation, an Israeli airstrike hit an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, targeting another alleged militant and wounding several people, according to medical officials.

The broader conflict stems from a devastating two-year war touched off by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas. An October ceasefire succeeded in halting major combat operations, but it failed to stop Israeli military actions entirely. Data from Gaza health officials indicates that more than 1,250 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians, have been killed by Israeli fire since October, though it remains difficult to verify the precise proportion of dead militants because Hamas typically does not disclose fighter casualty figures. On the Israeli side, official figures record that four soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza over the same timeframe.

What to watch next

• A scheduled Monday meeting between U.S. Envoys Jared Kushner, Nickolay Mladenov, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Further updates from Cairo regarding the mediation efforts between regional powers, the U.S., and Hamas.
• Developments on the ground in Gaza concerning the durability of the ceasefire and the continuation of Israeli airstrikes.