The talks took place in the Egyptian Mediterranean city of El-Alamein. It was al-Hayya's first trip abroad since taking over the leadership of Hamas in July. Officials from the mediating states — Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — attended, and Kushner was joined by Nickolay Mladenov, high representative of the so-called Board of Peace, and former British prime minister Tony Blair.

On the table is the U.S.-backed 15-point road map, which pairs Hamas disarmament with a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Progress halted last week when Israel's prime minister publicly rejected the plan.

Kushner is reported to have pressed for "concrete, verifiable steps" and to have delivered the message that "Gaza can never again be a source of terror for Israel." Verifiability has always been the hardest part of any disarmament clause.

Direct contact between a U.S. envoy and the Hamas leadership is unusual; negotiations have generally run indirectly through Cairo and Doha. Meeting in person can move things faster, but carries a political cost inside Israel.

Kushner is scheduled to see the Israeli prime minister the following day. Israel has rejected the road map and military operations in Gaza continue. Without all three tracks moving together, no agreement can hold.

Hwagyo Sibo reports that the meeting occurred, who attended and what was discussed. We offer no forecast on whether a deal will follow, and will report on the next round as results emerge.