Jared Kushner, senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, held a rare face-to-face meeting with a Hamas leader to revive Washington's stalled Gaza peace plan, according to the BBC.
The meeting came a week after Israel rejected Trump's peace plan for Gaza, the BBC reported. Kushner also met other regional leaders as multiple conflicts continued to roil the Middle East, according to CNN's live coverage.
Direct US contact with a Hamas leader is unusual. Washington designates Hamas a terrorist organization and has historically avoided face-to-face engagement with its leadership, relying instead on mediators such as Qatar and Egypt.
Why it matters: the plan's fate will shape whether the Gaza war winds down or grinds on, with consequences for US Middle East policy and regional stability, per CNN.
What to watch: whether Hamas responds with counter-terms, whether Israel returns to the negotiating table, and whether Kushner's parallel talks with regional leaders yield a revised proposal.