US diplomats are meeting with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey to talk about Gaza while Israel continues to strike

Trump’s envoys are meeting with Gaza mediators in Cairo while Israel continues its strikes, posing a challenge to the advancement of Washington’s proposed peace plan.

Envoys from US President Donald Trump have engaged in discussions with Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators in Cairo as Washington aims to progress its Gaza peace plan in the context of renewed Israeli airstrikes in the enclave.

A diplomatic source indicated that Trump’s envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, along with the president’s Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, engaged with the mediators on Sunday.

According to the source, Hamas officials were present at several of the meetings, where the discussions centered on progressing the proposed framework for resolving the conflict.

A senior Israeli official stated that Kushner and Mladenov are anticipated to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. On August 9, Netanyahu characterized Trump’s most recent Gaza roadmap as “unacceptable.”

The official expressed that Israel continues to be apprehensive about Washington’s request to cease targeted killings of Hamas militants in Gaza, contending that the group is in the process of reestablishing its forces.

Trump’s plan proposes an immediate cessation of military operations in Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops, while also advocating for the enclave’s reconstruction under a new civilian Palestinian administration.

Israeli strikes have resulted in numerous casualties in Lebanon and northern Gaza, coinciding with discussions between Netanyahu and Trump. The strikes persist.

The diplomatic efforts arise as Israeli forces have recommenced airstrikes in Gaza following a period of reduced attack intensity earlier this month.

The Israeli military reported that its aircraft targeted two militants from Islamic Jihad and Hamas in Khan Younis and Nuseirat on Sunday.

Medics reported that at least five Palestinians sustained injuries when one of the strikes impacted a tent encampment in Khan Younis. Nasser Hospital later reported that one of the injured had succumbed to their injuries.

A separate Israeli strike targeted an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, with medics reporting multiple injuries.

Earlier, Khalil Al-Hayya, the leader of Hamas, held a meeting with Egypt’s intelligence chief, Hassan Rashad, in Cairo.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem stated that Al-Hayya would inform Egyptian mediators about what the group referred to as Israeli violations of the ceasefire.

Arab and Muslim nations have dismissed Israel’s stance.

The diplomatic effort has garnered backing from various Muslim-majority nations, which have denounced Israel’s dismissal of the suggested roadmap.

On Sunday, five Arab countries, along with Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia, issued a joint statement expressing that Israel’s dismissal of the plan jeopardizes Trump’s attempts to resolve the conflict in Gaza.

A spokesperson for Netanyahu has yet to provide a comment on the statement.

Netanyahu’s Likud party has accused Arab countries of trying to oust the prime minister and replace him with political rivals who would “give them everything that they want,” as support drops ahead of Israel’s October 27 national election.

Hamas, in the meantime, urged mediators and the Board of Peace to exert pressure on Israel to meet its commitments under the initial phase of the plan.

The group also called for an end to what it called Israeli ceasefire violations and urged approval of the roadmap for the second phase.

An October ceasefire brought an end to significant hostilities in the two-year Gaza conflict, which began with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023; however, it has not fully ceased Israeli military actions.

Israeli fire has resulted in the deaths of over 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2025, as reported by Palestinian medics, with the majority of those killed identified as civilians.

The exact number of militants among the deceased is uncertain, as Hamas typically does not provide figures regarding fighters killed in the conflict.

Israeli figures indicate that four Israeli soldiers have lost their lives to militants in Gaza during this timeframe.