Gaza stalemate continues as Israel, Hamas hold firm

JERUSALEM — US President Donald Trump's envoy Jared Kushner left Jerusalem on Monday without a breakthrough after two days of talks with Israeli and Hamas leaders over a stalled plan to end the conflict in Gaza, with both sides standing firm on key demands.

Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a day after his meeting with the political leader of Hamas in a bid to revive the United States-backed plan. Israel has carried out airstrikes and seized more territory in Gaza despite an October ceasefire, while Hamas has insisted "there must first be Israeli approval of the road map".

Kushner described his nearly four-hour meeting with Netanyahu as "good". He added that Hamas representatives said "all the right things".

"We could be seeing progress in as little as 30 days, hopefully on starting to take some of the weapons out and hopefully filling in some of the tunnels as well in the next 60 to 90 days," Kushner told Fox News.

He also said that the United States is "not going to restrict Israel's right to defend itself if there are any imminent threats" in Gaza.

Last month, Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to lay down its arms in phases, under a 15-point road map put forward by the US-led "Board of Peace" to advance his plan, as Israel's military withdraws from Gaza. Hamas said it agreed to the road map but implementation depends on Israel first meeting its own commitments, including halting attacks and withdrawing.

On Tuesday, Hamas reiterated that it remained committed to the Gaza peace deal.

"Hamas is committed to this agreed-upon process," the group's spokesman Hazem Qassem told Agence France-Presse.

"It is clear that, so far, the Israeli side has not given the mediators clear approval of the road map," he said.

"There are timelines and procedural steps that need to be worked out in detail, but there must first be Israeli approval of the road map," he added.

Netanyahu, whose ruling coalition is trailing in opinion polls ahead of an October national election, rejected the deal earlier this month, insisting that Israel would not pull back until Hamas is completely disarmed.

An official with the "Board of Peace" said Israel would be able to "act accordingly" if Hamas "resorts to terror, violence or attempts to rearm". However, the official said Netanyahu was told that Hamas has committed to fully disarm and "cease immediately all military activity, including rearmament and tunnel digging".

Israeli operations have killed at least 1,265 Palestinians since a ceasefire came into effect on Oct 10, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

The Israeli army has reported five deaths in its ranks from Gaza operations over the same period.

AGENCIES-XINHUA