According to a report by Gili Cohen (Kan News), a Trump administration official has held direct meetings with senior Hamas figure Khalil al-Hayya in recent months as part of the disarmament talks. Israeli officials say talks have regressed due to a dispute over the definition of heavy vs. light weapons in the disarmament plan.
Monday night — Kan News correspondent Gili Cohen has identified the Trump administration official at the center of secret Gaza disarmament talks: Ari Lichtstein, a senior figure in the administration, held direct meetings with Hamas deputy leader Khalil al-Hayya in recent months. The talks are part of a broader dialogue led by UN envoy Nikolay Mladenov, according to the report. Israeli officials were aware of the meetings, but Cohen reports the negotiations have regressed — Hamas has hardened its position, and the core dispute now revolves around the definition of heavy vs. light weapons in the disarmament framework, delaying progress on a plan that sourced earlier described as including a phased mechanism for storing weapons under a Palestinian committee and international force.
The Zioneer first reported Monday night (22:10 Jerusalem) that senior Trump administration officials had held a secret meeting with al-Hayya, though the specific identity of the emissary was not initially confirmed. The current report, published at 22:36 Jerusalem, adds Lichtstein's name and the detail that talks have stalled over the weapons-definition dispute — moving the story from a single unverified report to a named-source account with specific on-record details.
As The Zioneer reported on Friday, June 19 (09:37 Jerusalem), Mladenov had handed Hamas a revised weapons-disposal document backed by envoys Witkoff and Kushner, offering a phased mechanism for concentrating and storing weapons alongside an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The current report places Lichtstein's meetings within that same framework, describing his role as part of the broader UN-led dialogue.
What remains open: Neither Lichtstein's specific title nor the precise timeline of his meetings with al-Hayya have been confirmed beyond Cohen's reporting. The dispute over heavy vs. light weapons definitions has not been publicly detailed, and no official confirmation from the Trump administration or Hamas has been issued.
3 developments
- DevelopingRevised Palestinian proposal on Gaza disarmament reported by Asharq Al-Awsat
- StrongHamas receives revised Gaza weapons-disposal plan backed by US envoys, sources say
- StrongUS denies report that talks with Hamas are stalled, says talks on schedule
- StrongDiplomats say Gaza ceasefire deal unlikely before Israeli elections, US official pushes for Hamas disarmament first
Source and signal
- Internal intake