Kushner Admits Failed Gaza Operation Led to Deal With Hamas

Former Trump envoy Jared Kushner revealed in a video call from Malta that a failed Israeli assassination attempt in Doha last September was a "operational failure" that led to "isolation." Kushner stated that the White House leveraged this setback to pressure Israel's political leadership into accepting the war-ending and hostage release deal that was subsequently approved. This account contrasts with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's earlier assertion that the primary goal was to send a message, not that the operation had failed.

Kushner's remarks came during his visit to Ukraine, where he was involved in White House efforts to end the conflict there. He met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after discussions in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The former envoy's comments on the Doha incident emerge amid ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the Israeli government regarding the implementation of a peace plan for Gaza.

The Doha assassination attempt occurred on September 9, 2025, involving six Israeli strikes with 12 missiles. According to Turkish media reports citing a Hamas internal investigation, senior Hamas officials were meeting in Doha to discuss a proposal from then-U.S. President Donald Trump. Strict security protocols were reportedly in place, with officials arriving in disguise and their personal communication devices confiscated.

Hamas official Khalil al-Haya's son, Al-Haya, insisted on moving the leaders to another building and enforcing security measures, which reportedly saved them. The officials were moved, and the discussion on Trump's proposal began shortly before the Israeli attack commenced. The strikes hit, among other places, the office and family home of Khalil al-Haya, killing him and other Hamas figures like Jihad Lubbad.

Kushner indicated that this "dynamic" of U.S. management of its ally translated about a month later into the Israeli government approving the war-ending and hostage release deal. Kushner and another Trump envoy, Steve Witkoff, were present at the government session and later appeared at the Hostages Square rally. Kushner also recently met with Netanyahu for four hours to advance the peace plan, agreeing that Gaza reconstruction would not occur without Hamas's complete disarmament.

During his Ukraine visit, Kushner agreed with Israel on the "final situation" for Gaza but criticized Israeli decision-making processes, attributing some irrationality to "crazy elections." Kushner's admission reframes the official Israeli narrative, presenting the Doha event not as a message of strength but as a diplomatic leverage point exploited by the White House.