Trump Envoys Push Gaza Deal as Israel Resumes Strikes
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- Jared Kushner and Nickolay Mladenov met Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators in Cairo on Sunday (Aug 16), with Hamas officials present at some meetings, to advance Trump's Gaza peace plan.
- Netanyahu on Aug 9 called Trump's latest roadmap "unacceptable," and Israel was concerned about Washington's demand to end targeted assassinations of Hamas militants as the group rebuilds.
- Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis and Nuseirat struck what the military said were two Islamic Jihad and Hamas militants, wounding at least five Palestinians and killing one in a tent encampment strike.
- Five Arab countries plus Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia issued a joint statement condemning Israel's rejection of Trump's plan, saying it threatens efforts to end the war.
- Netanyahu's Likud party, struggling in polls ahead of an Oct 27 national election, accused Arab countries of wanting to "topple Netanyahu" so rivals will "give them everything that they want."
- Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya met Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad in Cairo, pledging to brief mediators on what he called Israeli ceasefire violations.
- Since October 2025, Israeli fire has killed more than 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza — most civilians — while four Israeli soldiers were killed by militants over the same period.
Why it matters: Eight nations jointly condemned Israel while its airstrikes killed civilians during the same peace push, exposing the gap between Trump's diplomatic timeline and Netanyahu's 'unacceptable' stance — with Likud trailing in polls before an Oct 27 election as the unspoken variable.
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