The Trump administration has engaged in direct talks with Hamas in an attempt to secure the release of hostages, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to The Jerusalem Post.
The negotiations are being handled via US special envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler, with a focus on the American-Israeli captives. There are 59 hostages being held captive in Gaza.
Boehler met with senior Hamas officials in Doha, Qatar, several times. These meetings, first reported by Barak Ravid on Axios, mark the first known direct dialogue between Hamas and the US administration since the US designated Hamas as a terrorist organization in 1997.
Such talks run counter to long-standing US policy against direct contact with groups that Washington lists as foreign terrorist organizations.
As the talks reached an impasse, US special envoy Steve Witkoff had proposed a framework by which half of the living hostages and half of the bodies would be returned on the first day of the continued truce. The rest of the living hostages and the bodies would be returned on the 42nd day, which would be the final day of the ceasefire.
A source familiar with the talks told the Post that Witkoff canceled his visit to Qatar due to a lack of progress in the negotiations. However, a different source claimed that the visit was canceled because of discussions on Ukraine in Washington.
In Israel, officials emphasized that the current situation, where the ceasefire continues without the release of hostages, will not last forever. A source told the Post, “The clock is ticking – if there is no agreement on the release of more hostages, Israel will return to fighting.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, in a phone call conversation with his British counterpart, David Lammy, said Israel has accepted the Witkoff framework “to extend the temporary ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, provided that Hamas release hostages.”
The White House said Boehler has the authority to negotiate directly with Hamas.
“When it comes to the negotiations that you’re referring to, first of all, the special envoy who’s engaged in those negotiations does have the authority,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.She said Israel was consulted, and she said Boehler’s work was a “good faith effort to do what’s right for the American people.”
"Israel was consulted on this matter," White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said in a statement. "Dialogue and the talking to people around the world, to do what's in the best interest of the American people is something that the president has proven, is what he believes is good faith effort to do what's right for the American people.
Israel unenthusiastic about talks
An Israeli source told the Post that Israel wasn’t too enthusiastic about the talks. The Prime Minister’s Office said, “Israel expressed its opinion to the United States regarding the direct talks with Hamas.”
The previous US role in helping to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Gaza conflict has been dealing with Israel and Qatari and Egyptian mediators but without any known direct communications between Washington and Hamas.
The discussions focused on the release of US hostages, including American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, 21, as well as the broader US objective to secure the release of all the hostages.
Alexander, from Tenafly, New Jersey, is believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas. He appeared in a video published by Hamas in November 2024. Four other US hostages have been declared dead in absentia by Israeli authorities.
The key message during these meetings, according to a source familiar with the details, was: “[President Donald] Trump expects to see actions before discussing the next phase.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that notions of returning only some of the hostages, not all, and beholden to specific criteria, trouble the families greatly.
“We demand a comprehensive, immediate deal that will return all of the hostages at once. Otherwise, this is a death sentence for the hostages who are still alive, while it will become impossible to bring the slain hostages to proper burial.”
The US kept Israel informed about the talks, though Jerusalem was not updated on all the details. Two separate sources, one of them Israeli, told the Post that no significant progress was made during these meetings.
Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis told Fox Business, “President Trump’s administration fundamentally changed the approach to Hamas. Instead of putting pressure on Israel, they are putting pressure on Hamas. We all look forward to seeing the hostages return and reunite with their families, in their homes and homeland. If this happens as a result of direct talks between the US and Hamas, we will be happy.”
Also, six freed hostages arrived in Washington on Tuesday for a special visit, during which they were set to meet with Trump.
The delegation, organized by the Hostages Families Forum and Hostage Aid, is composed of Doron Steinbrecher, Eli Sharabi, Naama Levy, Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, and Keith and Aviva Siegel. Aviva was released in the November 2023 deal, while the rest were all released in recent weeks.
The delegation arrived at the offices of the DC chapter of the Hostages Families Forum to learn about what the forum has done in the capital since the October 7 massacre.
They saw posters of all the hostages, and each freed hostage wrote a personal message on their own posters.“How good it is to simply be. Thank you for your prayers and hard work,” Omer Shem Tov wrote, adding to Ori Danino’s – whose body was found in Gaza in September – “My guardian angel. Thank you!”
“What joy to be here. Thank you, everyone, for all the efforts!” Naama Levy wrote.