Blair and Kushner hold rare meeting with Hamas leader

Tony Blair and Jared Kushner have held a rare meeting with a Hamas leader, according to GB News and the Independent. The Independent reports that the pair also met with Netanyahu, in an attempt to salvage a Gaza peace deal attributed to Trump.

The involvement of both men - one a former prime minister, the other a former senior adviser to a US president - suggests backchannel diplomacy on a question the frontbenches have struggled to resolve. Blair has moved between roles since leaving office: UN Middle East envoy, then private consultancy. Kushner was the architect of the Abraham Accords. Neither currently holds elected office; both carry enough weight to convene the room.

The mechanism is worth noting. When formal diplomacy stalls, the unofficial intermediary often steps in - someone with access but no mandate, able to float proposals a serving minister can't. Whether this produces a deal or simply manages the parties' expectations is the question. Backchannel talks have a mixed record: they can unlock movement, or they can let all sides postpone a decision while looking engaged.

What to watch: whether any agreement emerges from the meetings, and whether it holds longer than previous ceasefires. Gaza deals tend to announce themselves, then unravel.