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  • Centcom chief visits US carrier enforcing Iran blockade amid reports of severe strain on crew

    Centcom chief visits US carrier enforcing Iran blockade amid reports of severe strain on crew

    Against a backdrop of months-long heightened tensions between the United States and Iran over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the top commander of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Bradley Cooper, has traveled to the Arabian Sea to inspect the USS Abraham Lincoln, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier leading the U.S. blockade of Iranian maritime activity.

    Cooper’s on-board visit comes amid growing public scrutiny of the Lincoln’s unprecedented deployment: the carrier and its 5,000-plus crew have spent more than 250 consecutive days on station in the Middle East without a single scheduled port call — a break from standard deployment protocols that have left the crew grappling with widespread mental health distress, dwindling supply stocks, and plummeting morale.

    During his remarks to the crew Saturday, Admiral Cooper framed the extended deployment as a historic milestone, stating, “History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era.” But his words come as multiple alarming incidents have underscored the depth of the crew’s crisis. CNN first reported earlier this month that a sailor wearing a life vest fell overboard from the Lincoln; the service member was rescued within an hour and evacuated from the ship for urgent medical care, according to the network. That incident was far from an isolated event. U.S. military-focused publications Stars and Stripes and Navy Times have separately documented a second incident where crew members intervened to stop a fellow sailor from jumping overboard, as exhaustion and mental strain spread across the vessel. In testimony shared at a public town hall with Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, one spouse told officials her husband assigned to the Lincoln has become so despondent that he “hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow,” Stars and Stripes reported.

    In response to mounting concerns from U.S. lawmakers over the well-being of the Lincoln’s crew, Pentagon officials confirmed this week the carrier will soon rotate out of the region. It will be replaced by the USS George Washington, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The planned rotation comes just after U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth publicly stated the U.S. blockade of Iran could be maintained “indefinitely,” even as clashes over control of the Strait of Hormuz — a critical chokepoint through which 20% of the world’s oil supplies pass — continue with no ceasefire agreement on the horizon. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated sharply in recent months: Iran has targeted commercial vessels carrying oil and petroleum products owned by Gulf states outside the strait, while the U.S. has launched reciprocal strikes against vessels linked to the Iranian government and military.

    While nine-month at-sea deployments are standard for U.S. aircraft carriers during active wartime operations, even extended deployments almost always include regular port stops to restock essential supplies, perform maintenance, and give crew members critical time off to rest and recover. The Lincoln’s extended stretch without any port access is highly unusual and has amplified strain on personnel.

    Admiral Cooper’s regional trip also included stops in Israel, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where he held high-level talks with senior political and military leaders across the Gulf and Middle East, a Centcom spokesperson confirmed.

    On Sunday, Iran’s armed forces general staff issued a defiant public statement, pledging to achieve the “complete defeat” of both the U.S. and Israel in the Middle East. The statement emphasized that Iran’s legacy of “resistance” to Western and Israeli influence has been fully passed to a new generation of Iranian fighters.

  • Scrumhalf Noah Hotham to join the All Blacks in South Africa

    Scrumhalf Noah Hotham to join the All Blacks in South Africa

    Ahead of this Saturday’s highly anticipated opening test match against world-champion South African Springboks in Pretoria, New Zealand’s All Blacks have been hit by a crippling wave of injuries that has forced the coaching staff to make last-minute squad adjustments, including a late call-up for uncapped scrumhalf Noah Hotham.

    Hotham, who was controversially left out of the All Blacks’ original 44-man touring squad when selectors chose his Crusaders backup Kyle Preston instead, will travel to South Africa to provide injury cover for two injured halves: Cortez Ratima and Cam Roigard. Ratima picked up a knee injury during the All Blacks’ warm-up match against the Bulls in Pretoria earlier this week, while Roigard has been sidelined with a calf injury since before the tour began and has yet to take the field in South Africa.

    The injury crisis does not end at scrumhalf: prop Ollie Norris has also been forced to withdraw from the entire tour after damaging knee cartilage. Norris will immediately fly back to New Zealand to receive treatment, and the All Blacks Rugby Union confirmed that a replacement for the front rower will be announced at a later date.

    This tour of South Africa, which features a four-test series between the top-ranked world champion Springboks and the second-ranked All Blacks, has already seen a staggering number of key players fall to injury before the first official test even kicks off. Prior to the latest wave of injuries, three other All Blacks had already been sent home: hooker George Bell (calf injury), center Billy Proctor (broken shoulder blade), and winger Caleb Clarke (shoulder tendon injury).

    Several other injured starters are still remaining with the touring squad but are uncertain to feature in Saturday’s opening test. These include flyhalf Damian McKenzie, who is carrying an ankle injury, and star winger Will Jordan, who has yet to play a single minute on tour due to a persistent back injury. Both Roigard and Ratima are also still with the squad as they undergo assessment, but their game readiness remains in doubt.

    The injury crisis has thrown the All Blacks’ preparations for one of the biggest rugby series of the year into disarray, leaving coaching staff scrambling to assemble a fit and competitive side just days out from the first battle with the world champions.

  • Reform UK benefits ban for foreign nationals would include EU citizens

    Reform UK benefits ban for foreign nationals would include EU citizens

    Reform UK has ignited a fierce national political debate with a sweeping proposal to bar almost all foreign nationals from accessing UK welfare benefits, a central pillar of the party’s planned overhaul of Britain’s social security system ahead of the next general election. The controversial policy, set to be formally launched on Monday by shadow chancellor Robert Jenrick in a dedicated speech on welfare reform, would even extend the ban to European Union citizens holding settled status — a legal designation granting indefinite leave to live, work and study in the UK after five years of continuous residence.

    Policy analysts and rival political parties warn that implementing the ban would require full renegotiation of the post-Brexit trade and cooperation deal struck between the UK and the EU under the previous Conservative government. This opening of a major Brexit negotiation, they note, carries a clear risk of reciprocal action from Brussels: British expats who have built lives in EU member states could lose their own rights to access equivalent social security benefits in their countries of residence. Reform UK has acknowledged this risk, saying it has already budgeted for a potential £500 million cost if British expats are forced to return to the UK to claim benefits in response to EU retaliatory measures.

    Jenrick defended the proposal in pre-speech comments, framing it as a matter of economic sense and basic fairness to UK taxpayers. “Forcing British workers to pay for the benefits of foreigners is not just economically illiterate but plain immoral,” he said. “People are more than happy to support their neighbours in hard times, but the British taxpayer cannot afford to subsidise everyone on the planet, especially those who have not paid in.”

    Per Reform UK’s projections, the foreign national benefit ban would save the UK public purse £21 billion annually by the fifth year of a Reform government. The ban covers nearly all major working-age and family welfare payments, including housing benefit, pension credit, jobseeker’s allowance, child benefit, free childcare and disability benefits. Only a tiny set of narrow exemptions apply, such as war widows’ pensions and Armed Forces compensation schemes. This builds on a previous Reform pledge to block foreign nationals from claiming Universal Credit, the UK’s main working-age benefit. The entire 50-page welfare overhaul, which the party says it has spent six months developing, is projected to deliver £50 billion in annual public spending savings, with a separate plan to replace the existing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) disability benefits system already announced over the weekend.

    Current official figures show the UK government expects to spend a total of £322 billion on welfare across Great Britain this year, equal to 10.6% of national GDP, with just over half of that spending allocated to pensioner benefits.

    The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from all other major UK political parties, who have questioned both its feasibility and its ethics. The Labour Party said the plan would “plunge the UK back into years of Brexit renegotiations” and strip critical support from millions of people who have lawfully lived, worked and paid taxes in the UK for years, in many cases for decades. Labour also noted that the vast majority of migrants already do not qualify for UK welfare benefits, undercutting Reform’s core argument for the policy.

    Helen Whately, the Conservative Party’s shadow pensions secretary, dismissed Reform’s plans as hastily “cobbled together”, arguing that British voters prioritize controlled welfare spending, cracking down on actual abuse, and upholding dignity for disabled people rather than reopening divisive Brexit disputes. The Liberal Democrats said reducing the overall welfare bill requires prioritizing fixes to the NHS and social care system, not targeting foreign nationals. The Green Party went further, calling the policy cowardly, arguing that instead of cutting support for vulnerable groups, the government should raise revenue by taxing the super wealthy — a jab that references the £5 million donation to Reform leader Nigel Farage before he took his parliamentary seat, which is currently under investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog.

  • Trump orders Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea

    Trump orders Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea

    On a Sunday in Washington, former and returning U.S. President Donald Trump made a sudden, consequential policy shift, directing the Pentagon to sharply curtail a planned large-scale joint military exercise with South Korea that was scheduled to kick off later that same week. The announcement tied the move to two separate developments: a claimed South Korean refusal to back U.S. efforts to denuclearize Iran, and Trump’s own long-held view that large-scale drills send an unnecessarily hostile message to North Korea.

  • Trump says US will scale back military drills with South Korea

    Trump says US will scale back military drills with South Korea

    In a sudden announcement that upends long-standing U.S. security policy in Northeast Asia, former President Donald Trump has revealed that if he holds office, the United States will dramatically scale back its long-running joint military exercises with South Korea. The announcement, made in a Sunday evening post on his Truth Social platform, directly ties the proposed cut to Trump’s self-proclaimed positive rapport with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

    Trump argued that the large-scale military drills carry two major flaws. First, he emphasized the significant financial burden of the exercises, claiming that as has been the case in past security arrangements, the United States covers the majority of associated costs. Second, he contended that the drills send an unnecessarily hostile and inappropriate signal to Pyongyang, a framing that departs from the traditional U.S. position that the exercises are purely defensive in nature and designed to deter North Korean aggression.

    In a notable addendum to his announcement, Trump also pointed out that South Korea recently refused to partner with the United States in efforts to advance the denuclearization of Iran, a remark that analysts say hints at a broader shift in U.S. alliance priorities under a potential new Trump administration. The comment comes amid growing debate over burden-sharing and strategic alignment between Washington and its key Asian allies.

    Trump’s approach to North Korea has long broken with decades of bipartisan American foreign policy norms. He made history as the first sitting U.S. president to meet face-to-face with a North Korean leader, holding multiple summits with Kim between 2018 and 2019. His last in-person visit with the North Korean leader took place in 2019, when he made an unprecedented trip across the Demilitarized Zone to step into North Korean territory.

    The timing of Trump’s announcement is particularly striking: the United States and South Korea are scheduled to launch their annual routine joint military exercises on Monday, a drill that has long drawn fierce condemnation from North Korea, which views the exercises as preparation for a potential invasion of the country. This breaking story remains ongoing and will be updated as new details emerge.

  • Duplantis masterclass for fourth Euro pole vault title

    Duplantis masterclass for fourth Euro pole vault title

    On a crisp Sunday evening at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, Swedish pole vault superstar Armand “Mondo” Duplantis put on a masterclass of precision and dominance to secure his fourth consecutive European Athletics Championships gold medal, cementing his status as one of the greatest athletes in the sport’s history.

    The 2-time Olympic champion and three-time world gold medalist outperformed a 14-strong competitive field, finishing ahead of Greek standout Emmanouil Karalis to take the top spot, while setting a new championship record of 6.15 meters. This mark beats the previous 6.10m record Duplantis himself set at the 2022 European Championships in Rome.

    Karalis, who holds a personal best of 6.17m, claimed silver with a solid clearance of 6.00m, while France’s Baptiste Thiery rounded out the podium with a bronze medal finish after clearing 5.85m. Only three athletes in the entire field managed to clear the 6-meter barrier: Duplantis, Karalis, and Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen.

    The competition played out in a steady rise of tension as the bar climbed incrementally. The opening height of 5.55m proved no challenge for either Duplantis or Karalis, who both opted to pass at 5.70m, a height that eliminated four competitors immediately. At 5.85m, Duplantis, Karalis, and Thiery all made clean clearances, while five more athletes were knocked out of contention, with Guttormsen and Germany’s Bo Kanda Lita Baerze advancing only after surviving early failed attempts.

    When the bar rose to 5.95m, Guttormsen, Kanda Lita Baerze, and Thiery all failed to clear, leaving just Karalis and Duplantis in the fight for gold. Karalis made a clean clearance at 5.95m while Duplantis passed, moving the competition straight to 6.00m. Duplantis stumbled on his first attempt, and Karalis also failed to clear on his first jump. Duplantis responded with a clean clearance on his second try, putting immediate pressure on Karalis, who matched the performance to stay in the race.

    Both athletes passed on attempts at 6.05m, and Duplantis successfully cleared 6.10m on his first attempt. Karalis failed to clear 6.10m on his first jump, even as the iconic “Zorba’s Dance” blared over the stadium speakers to cheer him on. Karalis opted to pass on his remaining attempts at 6.10m to save his strength for 6.15m. Duplantis rose to the challenge, clearing the 6.15m bar on his first attempt to take the championship record.

    With the bar moved to 6.20m, Karalis made one final attempt to snatch gold, but his jump just grazed the bar, sending it crashing to the mat to end the competition. With temperatures dropping rapidly as the evening went on, Duplantis opted not to make an attempt at extending his own 16-year world record, instead packing up his poles and heading off the track with another gold medal added to his legendary collection.

    In post-victory comments, Duplantis expressed gratitude for the win, saying: “Another medal, I can’t complain. It’s really amazing. I’m just trying to win. I’m happy coming out with the win and that was enough for tonight. I really had a good time this week.”

  • US commander says mental health a ‘priority’ on USS Lincoln

    US commander says mental health a ‘priority’ on USS Lincoln

    A months-long, uninterrupted deployment of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Lincoln to the Middle East has ignited fierce debate over crew welfare and military leadership, as political figures clash over the conditions facing the 5,000 service members aboard the vessel.

    The USS Lincoln first arrived in the Middle East in January to support U.S. military operations against Iran, including enforcement of a blockade on Iranian ports. What was initially scheduled to conclude in May has been repeatedly extended, pushing the carrier to a historic milestone: more than 240 total days at sea, with over 200 of those passing without a single port of call. That streak is set to end soon, however, as the replacement carrier USS George Washington travels toward the region and is expected to arrive within a week to relieve the Lincoln’s crew.

    Reports first published by Military Times and Stars & Stripes last week exposed grim conditions on board, including broken plumbing systems, poor sanitation, limited access to fresh food, and almost no opportunities for crew to leave the vessel for rest. Family members of deployed sailors have raised urgent alarms over declining mental health among personnel, with multiple unconfirmed reports of crew members attempting to jump overboard amid the strain.

    Following an on-board visit Saturday, U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper, the top American military commander in the Middle East, framed mental health support as an official leadership priority for the vessel. In a Sunday statement, Cooper noted that the Lincoln “has among the lowest number of reported mental health cases” of the 11 active U.S. aircraft carriers currently in service. Still, he conceded that extended naval deployment presents unique hardships, saying, “I’ve long believed that mental health is another aspect of individual health and requires our attention just like physical health and spiritual health.” He praised the Lincoln’s command for prioritizing crew resilience and mental wellness initiatives.

    The U.S. Navy has pushed back against characterizations of a widespread mental health crisis, acknowledging only general supply challenges associated with the extended tour. Political leaders have not been so quick to dismiss the reports. Thirteen Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a formal letter Saturday to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, slamming the unprecedented deployment length as a “modern-day record” and demanding detailed answers on crew conditions and the decision to extend the tour repeatedly.

    Hegseth has already pushed back, dismissing published reports of poor conditions as “completely misrepresented.” The response from President Donald Trump has been even more blunt: during a press briefing Friday, Trump dismissed concerns that sailors had spent too much time at sea, telling reporters, “Not nearly long enough.”

    That comment drew widespread rebuke from across the political aisle. Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat and U.S. Army veteran, told CNN Sunday that the reported conditions on the USS Lincoln were “heartbreaking” and argued that the Republican administration owed service members far more compassion than the president had displayed.

    The controversy comes as service members across the U.S. military have drawn increased attention to mental health support gaps, particularly for personnel on extended deployments far from home and families.

  • Cameroon claim first Wafcon title with victory over Malawi

    Cameroon claim first Wafcon title with victory over Malawi

    After three heartbreaking final losses spanning 12 years, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses have finally claimed their maiden Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) crown, delivering a dominant 3-0 defeat to Cinderella story Malawi in the 2026 tournament final hosted in Rabat, Morocco. What makes this historic triumph even more extraordinary is that Cameroon almost did not even qualify for the expanded 16-team finals: they fell 3-1 on aggregate to Algeria in the second qualifying round, only advancing after Confederation of African Football (Caf) expanded the tournament field from 12 to 16 teams and awarded them a spot based on global ranking. They also missed the entire 2024 edition of the continental championship, making their underdog run to the top all the more remarkable.

    The first half of the final belonged entirely to Cameroon, who put the result beyond doubt before the halftime break. In the 20th minute, a misjudged attempt from Malawi goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo to clear a cross from Naomi Eto set up the opening goal: Grace Mendoua nodded the ball back across the face of goal, Sikelo tipped it onto the crossbar, and Marie Ngah Manga pounced from close range to put Cameroon ahead. Ten minutes later, Malawi failed to clear a Cameroon corner, and Eto turned sharply to fire a stunning first-time volley into the bottom corner of the net, doubling the Indomitable Lionesses’ advantage. In stoppage time at the end of the first half, Ngah Manga scored her second of the match: Eto beat the onrushing Sikelo to a through ball, pulled it back across an open goal, and Ngah Manga tapped home her fifth goal of the tournament to make it 3-0.

    Malawi, the lowest-ranked team at the 2026 Wafcon sitting 153rd in the global rankings and making their first ever appearance in the continental finals, had surged to the final on the back of the deadly attacking form of star siblings Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga. But Cameroon’s well-drilled defence marshalled midfield to cut off the supply lines to the Chawinga sisters, shutting down the attacking threat that had carried the underdogs through the knockout rounds. The Southern African side’s best chance came just after the hour mark, when Cameroon goalkeeper Michaely Bihina saved a low strike from Tabitha Chawinga, only for Temwa to fire the rebound wide of an open goal. Ngah Manga also missed a golden chance to claim a hat-trick and the tournament golden boot outright early in the second half, firing wide from six yards after rounding Sikelo. Late in the match, a Gabrielle Onguene tap-in was ruled out for offside, leaving the final scoreline at 3-0.

    Cameroon’s road to the final was already full of unlikely upsets under new coach Valentine Nguele, who only took charge of the side in June. The Indomitable Lionesses knocked out defending powerhouse Nigeria 1-0 in the quarter-finals, then beat host nation Morocco on penalties in the semi-finals, with 22-year-old Benfica goalkeeper Bihina emerging as a tournament star: she pulled off nine saves against Nigeria, and saved an extra-time penalty plus three spot-kicks in the shootout against Morocco. She faced almost no serious threats in the final, as Cameroon controlled the match from the opening 20 minutes.

    FIFA President Gianni Infantino joined Caf President Patrice Motsepe to present the trophy to Cameroon, who become just the fourth nation to win the Wafcon title, following Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. The champions also take home $2 million in prize money, marking a sweet ending after three previous final losses to Nigeria in 2004, 2014 and 2016. Ngah Manga, who ended the tournament level on five goals with Temwa Chawinga and Barbra Banda, spoke after the match about the years of work that led to the historic win: “We have been working so hard over all these years to get here. To finally be champions we are very proud.”

    Both finalists will join semi-finalists Algeria and Morocco as Africa’s four representatives at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with Malawi making their World Cup debut alongside the North African side. Speaking from the stadium in Rabat, BBC World Service reporter Maz Farookhi noted that Caf’s decision to expand the tournament has already paid dividends for women’s football across the continent. “This tournament was described to me before the final as ‘the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations of our lifetime’, and rightly so,” Farookhi said. “Aside from host nation Morocco, no-one would have predicted such a last four line-up or the two sides who would ultimately contest the final. Caf’s decision to expand the tournament to 16 nations has proved to be the right one, allowing teams away from the likes of Nigeria and South Africa to demonstrate their qualities and bridge the gap to the continent’s elite.”

    While Malawi’s fairytale run ended in a one-sided final, the debutants have already made history, and all four qualified African nations are set to head into the 2027 World Cup with momentum behind women’s football on the continent continuing to grow.

  • Records for Asher-Smith, Hunt as Britain win 4x100m mixed relay

    Records for Asher-Smith, Hunt as Britain win 4x100m mixed relay

    The 2024 European Athletics Championships wrapped up a historic weekend for British sprinting on Sunday, as Team Great Britain claimed gold in the mixed 4x100m relay while two of its star athletes etched their names deeper into the event’s record books. Anchored by rising sprint star Amy Hunt, the dominant British quartet — made up of first leg Jeremiah Azu, second leg Dina Asher-Smith, third leg Zharnel Hughes, and final leg Hunt — crossed the finish line in a new European record time of 39.97 seconds, finishing well ahead of silver medalists Germany and bronze medalists Spain to secure the top spot on the podium.

    For Hunt, the victory marked her fourth gold medal of this year’s championships, capping off an undisputed career-best week that already included titles in the individual 100m, 200m, and women’s 4x100m relay. Speaking to reporters after the win, the young sprinter expressed overwhelming joy at sharing the moment with her teammates, revealing that the group had only run their first full baton handoff practice an hour before the final. “It was like waiting in line for a roller-coaster — you’re staring down that big drop scared out of your mind, but the second you finish you just want to go again,” Hunt said. “It was so scary, but I loved getting this new opportunity. Ending the week trying something brand new? It was amazing.”

    The historic win was just as significant for Dina Asher-Smith, the 30-year-old British sprint veteran who ran the second leg of the race. The medal marks Asher-Smith’s eighth continental European gold medal, pushing her ahead of Croatian discus thrower Sandra Elkasevic and Norwegian middle-distance star Jakob Ingebrigtsen, both of whom hold seven European golds apiece. Beyond the gold count, the medal also makes Asher-Smith the most decorated athlete in European Athletics Championships history: her total 11 continental medals (eight golds, two silvers, one bronze) surpass the previous record of 10 medals held by Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska, which stood for more than 45 years.

    Like Hunt, Asher-Smith spoke of the mix of nerves and excitement that came with the new mixed relay event. “I had to run so fast out there — I’m on a team with three other incredibly fast people!” she said. “I was absolutely terrified when the gun went off; I just kept telling myself to relax. I was so happy to hand that baton off to Zharnel, I can’t even lie. It’s really good to get to try something new, and the more we compete in this event, the more we learn what makes us faster.”

    Sunday’s mixed relay gold caps off a truly dominant week of sprinting for Great Britain. Earlier in the championships, Rommel Glave and Azu took first and second place in the men’s 100m, Hughes claimed silver in the men’s 200m, and both the British men’s and women’s 4x100m relay squads also took home gold medals. Azu, the reigning world indoor 60m champion, said the week of wins proves Britain’s depth and strength in sprint events. “We are super strong in sprinting, and we wanted to showcase that for the British fans,” he said. He also paid tribute to his two teammates, calling Hunt’s breakout performance “incredible” and noting that Asher-Smith has long been an inspiration for him. “When I started athletics in 2017, Dina was all anyone talked about. I watched all of her race tapes over and over. It’s an honor and a privilege to be on the same team as her now — it still feels surreal that we’re teammates,” Azu said.

    Hughes echoed his teammates’ excitement, summing up the mood of the entire British squad with a simple, confident question: “It was incredible. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Are you not entertained?”

  • Kushner meets with Hamas in push to revive Gaza plan

    Kushner meets with Hamas in push to revive Gaza plan

    In a groundbreaking shift for decades-long U.S. policy toward the Palestinian militant group, White House envoy Jared Kushner, who is also Donald Trump’s son-in-law, sat down for direct talks with Hamas’s newly appointed leader Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian Mediterranean city of El-Alamein Sunday. The high-stakes meeting, coordinated alongside regional mediators and members of the Trump administration’s Middle East peace board, marks a major push to breathe new life into a Gaza peace initiative that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already rejected.

    This encounter comes two weeks after Hamas formally endorsed the latest phase of the Trump administration’s plan, committing to transfer its weapons stockpiles to a newly formed independent governing committee. For Kushner and the U.S. negotiating team, the core priority of Sunday’s discussions was pressing Hamas to agree to concrete, internationally verifiable disarmament measures — a non-negotiable demand that Netanyahu has repeatedly emphasized as a condition for any deal. A anonymous source familiar with the closed-door talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the issue’s sensitivity, shared that Kushner made clear to the Hamas delegation that Gaza can never again be permitted to operate as a base for terrorist activity targeting Israel.

    Sunday’s meeting marked al-Hayya’s first international trip since he took the helm of Hamas in July, and shortly after assuming leadership, the group threw its support behind the disarmament roadmap. Many regional observers have characterized this move as a tactical gambit, predicated on the expectation that Netanyahu would reject the plan outright regardless of Hamas’s concessions. Despite that analysis, a second source confirmed that Hamas reaffirmed its public commitment to the framework during negotiations with Kushner. Following the talks, Hamas issued a statement calling on international mediators and the Trump administration’s Board of Peace to pressure Israel to approve the roadmap and immediately begin drafting a clear implementation timeline.

    While host Egypt did not release any public imagery of al-Hayya at the negotiating table, photos confirmed Kushner was joined by other participants, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a senior member of the Board of Peace. Qatar and Turkey, two key regional mediators that have long maintained ties with Hamas, also joined the talks alongside Egypt.

    This direct engagement between a senior U.S. envoy and Hamas represents a dramatic reversal of longstanding U.S. policy. For years, Washington officially refused any direct contact with the group, which it designates as a terrorist organization. Hamas was responsible for the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that killed roughly 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostages, triggering the ongoing devastating Gaza war. But the Trump administration has increasingly embraced direct talks in pursuit of a permanent end to the conflict, and previously negotiated the October 2025 ceasefire that secured the release of all remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

    Following the Egypt talks, Kushner is set to travel to Israel Monday to meet with Netanyahu, who is currently locked in a competitive re-election campaign ahead of October’s national vote. Netanyahu, a longtime hawk on Palestinian issues, has already rejected the U.S.-backed plan outright, even after the Board of Peace revised its terms to accommodate Israeli demands. Originally, the framework called for a phased Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza to proceed in lockstep with Hamas’s disarmament. But Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov assured Netanyahu that Israel would not be required to pull its forces out of the war-ravaged territory until full disarmament is completed — a concession that still failed to win Israeli support.

    The rejection of the plan has sparked widespread pushback from regional actors. The three mediator countries (Egypt, Qatar, Turkey) joined five Muslim nations — Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Indonesia — in issuing a joint statement Sunday condemning Israel’s refusal to move forward with the plan. The joint statement placed full and direct responsibility for the obstruction of peace efforts on Israel, noting that Netanyahu’s rejection directly threatens to derail the extensive diplomatic work spearheaded by the Trump administration.

    Notably, the UAE joined the statement, a development that carries significant strategic weight. The UAE normalized diplomatic and economic relations with Israel five years ago through the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, a landmark agreement that Netanyahu has repeatedly touted as one of his signature policy achievements. In response to the joint statement, Netanyahu’s Likud Party issued a fierce rebuttal, accusing Arab states of meddling in Israel’s election to try to oust the sitting prime minister.

    Despite the ceasefire that went into effect in October, violence has never fully ceased in Gaza, and Israel has resumed large-scale airstrikes across the territory after a brief lull triggered by the unveiling of the Trump peace plan. On Sunday, Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal reported that several Palestinians were injured after Israeli aircraft targeted a residential building west of Nuseirat. The Israeli Defense Force said the strike was targeting a cell of Islamic Jihad militants that was planning imminent attacks, adding that it took extensive measures to minimize harm to civilian bystanders.

    Separately, Bassal confirmed that several more people were wounded when Israeli forces opened fire on a displaced person encampment west of Khan Yunis. In the same area, civil defense teams recovered the body of 10-year-old Suhail Shallouf, who was killed by Israeli gunfire Saturday. According to data from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, which the United Nations has deemed reliable, at least 1,262 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli operations across Gaza since the October ceasefire went into effect. The Israeli military has confirmed five combat deaths among its ranks during the same period.