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Jared Kushner, the Trump administration's envoy for the Gaza peace roadmap, said Sunday that the Israeli government has been "a little irrational" in its handling of Gaza, attributing the behavior to political pressure from an upcoming national election.
Kushner made the remarks during a press briefing in Kyiv, offering a rare public critique from a senior US official of Israel's decision-making process even as fighting-related violations continue under a fragile ceasefire in Gaza.
Kushner said the United States and Israel remain aligned on "the end state for Gaza," but suggested that domestic politics have distorted Israeli policy in the interim. He described the country's "crazy elections" as a factor shaping its approach, and said the US is "very determined" to work through the political difficulties on the Israeli side.
The comments follow earlier reports that Kushner had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly not to impede the peace roadmap, reportedly telling him to "not create obstacles" to its implementation.
Israel is due to hold a general election for the 26th Knesset, its unicameral legislature, on Oct. 27. A recent survey by public broadcaster KAN found Netanyahu's Likud party losing ground, projected to win just 20 of the Knesset's 120 seats if the election were held now.
The remarks come against the backdrop of a ceasefire that has been in effect in Gaza since Oct. 10, 2025, but which rights groups and Palestinian officials say Israel has repeatedly violated. According to the latest figures from Gaza's Health Ministry, Israeli violations of the truce have killed 1,344 Palestinians and wounded 4,464 others since it took effect.
The ceasefire followed nearly two years of war that began after Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. Palestinian officials say the conflict has killed more than 73,000 people in Gaza and wounded over 174,000, though Israel has disputed elements of Gaza's casualty accounting throughout the war.
Kushner, a senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, has taken on an increasingly prominent role in shaping US Middle East policy, including efforts to broker and sustain the Gaza ceasefire. His comments in Kyiv reflect growing US frustration over the pace and consistency of Israeli compliance with the roadmap, even as the administration continues to publicly back Israel's long-term objectives in Gaza.
Neither the Israeli prime minister's office nor the US State Department issued an immediate public response to Kushner's remarks.
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