IDF movements on the ground have aided in the US hostage deal efforts, US Hostage Envoy Adam Boehler said at The Jerusalem Post Conference on Monday.
"If Hamas wants to come and make a legitimate offer, if they're willing to release hostages, we're always open to that," he said. "Part of that stems from the movement of the IDF on the ground."
Boehler also spoke about US President Donald Trump at the conference.
"It's my job to engage with people who are, in general, not good people. I take a lot of inspiration from Trump. One thing he has shown is that he's willing to engage."
On Iran, Boehler said that Trump is open to making a deal, "but it has to be the right deal, he's not okay with Iranians enriching uranium at all."
Speaking on Trump's visit to the Middle Eastern region last week, Boehler added that "A good portion of the visits was about the hostage deal and about other countries joining the Abraham Accords."
When asked about the relations between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, especially regarding Edan Alexander's recent release, Boehler said that Trump's support for Netanyahu never wavered. He also noted that Trump had taken much action to fight antisemitism in the US.
"I think that Trump would love to be in a situation where the hostages are home. That doesn't mean that Israel's security is compromised. Those are two very different things."
Hamas is the one holding back a ceasefire-hostage deal, Boehler added
Boehler then clarified his belief that Hamas is the main force holding back a hostage deal.
"There is a reason why Hamas doesn't have a state, because they never make good decisions," he said.
"There's not one day that goes by where I don't think about the cost of the hostages still being there,"
Boehler then spoke about Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Russian-Israeli woman who is being held hostage by the Iran-backed Iraqi terrorist group Kata'ib Hezbollah.
"Kata'ib Hezbollah must understand that tensions are going to turn, and they must release her now, or they will see the same thing that Hamas saw, the same thing that Hezbollah saw. The best thing they can do is release her."