Hamas leader heads to Cairo for Gaza talks ahead of Kushner visit

What happened

Hamas political leader Khalil al-Hayya is traveling to Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials, and is expected to meet Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad on Sunday morning. The visit precedes a planned trip by US President Donald Trump's envoy Jared Kushner to Israel and Egypt next week, accompanied by Nickolay Mladenov. It comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a 15-point plan under which Hamas had agreed to hand its weapons to a new Palestinian governing committee. Meanwhile, Israeli fire killed two Palestinians and wounded 14 in Gaza on Saturday; more than 1,250 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect in October last year, with the overall death toll since October 2023 exceeding 73,300.

Why it matters

The talks come as international mediators try to salvage a Gaza ceasefire and push Netanyahu to accept a roadmap despite his public rejection. Kushner's visit aims to narrow differences over the Gaza plan, while continued Israeli strikes and rising Palestinian casualties underscore the fragility of the truce and urgent need for a political resolution.