Kushner: 'Durable peace in Gaza requires an end to Hamas rule'

(Oct. 21, 2026 / JNS)

U.S. special peace envoy Jared Kushner on Tuesday shared a Wall Street Journal editorial urging Israel to take interim steps in Gaza to help the Board of Peace advance President Donald Trump’s plan before the Jewish state’s Oct. 27 election.

“A durable peace in Gaza requires an end to Hamas rule, security for Israel, and a better future for the Palestinian people,” Kushner wrote.

He further labeled the column an “important perspective.”

The editorial identified three measures: allowing a new Gaza police force to train in Egypt and return to the Strip, signing an agreement authorizing international forces to operate in Gaza, and finalizing arrangements for water and sanitation services.

“Israelis are united on the end goal. Getting there will likely require doing more to help a friendly Board of Peace,” the editorial stated.

On the other hand, it noted that the Board of Peace has not pressed Netanyahu for “controversial moves,” which could “backfire” before the Oct. 27 elections.

The Board of Peace is an international organization established in January 2026 by Trump, aimed at overseeing the post-war disarmament of Hamas and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

Earlier in October, Kushner marked the one-year anniversary of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, pointing to the return of all Israeli hostages and increased humanitarian aid while warning that critical challenges, including disarming the Hamas terrorist organization, remain ahead.

“One year ago today, on October 9, 2025, we reached an agreement on President Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza many believed impossible,” Trump’s son-in-law, who serves as U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions alongside Steve Witkoff, wrote on X.

“After two years of devastating war, the agreement created a path to reunite hostage families with their loved ones, bring security to Israel, relieve the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, and build a different future for the region,” wrote Kushner. “One year later, it’s remarkable how much has changed. The situation is far from perfect, but the progress is real, and the world is better for it.”

In the previous month, the U.S. envoy said that Washington was only beginning to understand what is required to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, calling it “beyond your comprehension.”

“Demilitarizing it is not going to be easy,” Kushner said at a press conference in Kyiv, where he appeared alongside Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The United States worked with Hamas for more than four months, he said, resulting in the terrorist group committing to lay down its weapons. “You can’t go in if there’s guns,” Kushner said. “You can’t send a government in to a place.”

“There’s a new government, a Palestinian technocratic government that’s neither the [Palestinian Authority] nor Hamas, that’s built a plan to go forward,” the envoy said.

The U.S. and Israel agree on the “end state” for Gaza, Kushner said, but continue to work through “some political issues” due to the upcoming Israeli election. “They just have a crazy election, and that makes them a little irrational in certain regards,” he added.