Donald Trump facilitated a meeting at the White House on Wednesday with Kushner, ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Israeli official Ron Dermer to map out a post-war plan for Gaza.
By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER and CHARLIE SPIERING, US POLITICAL REPORTER
Published: 17:18 EDT, 28 August 2025 | Updated: 17:22 EDT, 28 August 2025
Jared Kushner has found his way back to the center of Trump’s close inner circle.
President Donald Trump facilitated a meeting at the White House on Wednesday with Kushner, ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Israeli official Ron Dermer and top administration aides to map out a post-war plan for Gaza.
Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka and was the president's political gatekeeper during his first term, is working with Blair on finding an alternative to terror group Hamas to govern the region.
It shows Kushner's powerful return to Trump's inner fold after intending to exit the political limelight along with Ivanka at the start of the year. He does not hold an official position within the administration, but is advising on Trump's Middle Eastern strategy from afar.
Months before, Kushner received criticism for describing waterfront property in the Gaza Strip as ‘valuable’ as tens of thousands of civilians lay dead amid the Israel-Hamas war.
The president's son-in-law was backing Trump's vision to transform Gaza into the 'Riviera of the Middle East.'
Trump's proposal was met with global criticism by both lawmakers and analysts who fear the plan would forcibly displace Gaza's population of two million.
Throughout the meeting, key Trump cabinet officials were present and gave their input, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Axios.
'They tried to give an idea of how Gaza could be governed and how you create an environment for investment so that reconstruction can happen,’ a source told Axios.
During Trump's first-term, Kushner was one of the most powerful figures in the White House, but has recently remained outside of the inner circle in the new administration
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will work with Kushner on developing a post-Hamas plan for Gaza
Kushner is married to Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka
‘The goal was to run the ideas by Trump to see if he likes them and want to move forward, so that Witkoff and Rubio can use them.’
Eventually, Trump asked to bring in Israeli official Ron Dermer, one of Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest advisers, because he wanted to hear his input.
‘The president wanted to hear from him what are Israel's needs and red lines in a day-after scenario,’ a source told Axios.
Dermer reportedly told the senior Trump officials that Israel is not seeking to occupy Gaza long-term, but needs help finding an alternative to Hamas for governing the region.
The Israeli official also noted that his government does not want to expel the Palestinian population.
‘Dermer's message was: As long as our conditions are met, we will be flexible about everything else,’ the source told Axios.
Although Kushner and Blair received Trump’s green light to move forward, they do not currently have a plan to restructure the region and no clear decision was made during the meeting.
A source told the Daily Mail that the ‘president wants to solve Gaza’ and to ‘stay tuned’ on more details to come.
One of the images seen in the clip is a giant golden statue of the President
Regardless, developing outlining a plan for Gaza’s political restructuring is an essential focal point for ending a brutal war that has destroyed the Gaza population.
Hamas has accepted a ceasefire proposal brokered by Qatari and Egyptian officials that includes releasing the remaining hostages.
However, Netanyahu remains steadfast in his plans to launch a full occupation of the Gaza region despite domestic and international pressure for diplomacy.
Trump held the meeting with key administration officials including JD Vance
‘The goal is for the U.S. to lead the effort to find an internationally accepted governance structure in Gaza that will allow Israel to pull out without deteriorating back to the old reality again from a security standpoint,’ the source concluded.