Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and advisor, said Sunday that the Trump administration used the diplomatic fallout from Israel's September 2025 strike in Qatar as leverage to press Israel to accept an agreement ending the war in Gaza.
Speaking remotely at the Yalta European Strategy conference, Kushner discussed the September 9, 2025 Israeli strike in Doha, which targeted senior Hamas officials as they met to consider a US ceasefire proposal.
According to Kushner, the failure to eliminate the senior Hamas leaders targeted in the operation contributed to growing international pressure on Israel and gave the US administration an opportunity to advance an agreement.
“[The attack] was unsuccessful as a military operation and that led to Israel being globally isolated, and we used that dynamic in order to push them into a deal," Kushner said.
The senior Hamas officials targeted in the strike survived, while several security personnel were killed.
One month later, on October 9, Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire agreement that resulted in the release of 48 hostages, including living hostages as well as the bodies of hostages who were murdered in captivity.
Kushner said that although Israel initially had reservations regarding the terms being promoted by the Trump administration, Israeli officials later came to view the agreement more favorably.
“Today, they're quite happy with [the agreement], but at the time, they were uncomfortable with what we were pushing them to do," he said.
“Ultimately, it turned out to be great for them; it turned out to be great for the people of Gaza, because now we have a new government there that's obviously looking to take over soon once we advance on the demilitarization."
Kushner's remarks follow comments he made last week regarding the implementation of the Trump administration's plans for the future of Gaza. He said that Israel's election campaign was complicating efforts to move forward with the plan.
“I think we agree with them on the end state," Kushner said of Israel. “They just have a crazy election and that makes them a little irrational in certain regards but we’re very determined and we’re working through these things."
The Trump administration has been seeking to advance the next stage of its Gaza roadmap, which includes establishing a new governing structure in the territory and moving toward its demilitarization.
As part of those efforts, Kushner met senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt in mid-August. Mohammed Dahlan, the former senior Palestinian Authority official who is currently based in the United Arab Emirates, also took part in the meeting.
Hamas later announced that it had accepted the roadmap for the second phase.
According to the plan, the next stage would include an Israeli withdrawal, an increase in humanitarian assistance, the establishment of a Palestinian national committee tasked with administering Gaza, and the beginning of reconstruction efforts.