Hamas meets Trump board
For the first time Hamas officials held talks with the U.S.‑led “Board of Peace” in Cairo as diplomats scramble to shore up a fragile Gaza ceasefire — talks complicate wider Iran‑war diplomacy and relief plans . Reuters says the meeting aims to safeguard the current pause even as the broader Iran conflict puts those efforts under strain .
Envoys from Trump’s Board of Peace met) with Hamas representatives in Cairo over the weekend, the first publicly reported contact between the two sides since the Iran war began, Reuters reported on March 16, 2026. The board’s presence in Cairo reportedly included Aryeh Lightstone, described as an aide to Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, with U.S. officials saying Lightstone had attended Gaza-related meetings in the city in recent days. (usnews.com) Israel announced it would partially reopen the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt for limited pedestrian movement starting March 18, a move officials said followed a “security assessment” issued after the Cairo consultations. (straitstimes.com) Trump’s Board of Peace had earlier pledged roughly $7 billion toward Gaza relief and reconstruction, a financing figure publicized at the board’s launch in Washington. (newsweek.com) The board’s governance structure names Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov as High Representative and envisions a technocratic Palestinian administration headed by Ali Shaath as part of the transition plan for Gaza. (aljazeera.com) Sources told Reuters that Hamas warned the board it could back away from ceasefire commitments if Israel maintained new wartime restrictions, and that talks on Hamas disarmament have been on hold since Israel and the U.S. began strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. (usnews.com) U.S. negotiators and regional partners were reported to be continuing meetings to implement President Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan, with further Board of Peace sessions expected this week as the body establishes accounts at the World Bank and JP Morgan to handle funds. (wkzo.com)
