The United States broke long -standing diplomatic taboo tabs, holding secret conversations with the militant Palestinian group Hamas to secure the releasing US hostages held in Gaza, the reuters’ sources said on Wednesday, while US President Donald Trump warned that he was “hell to pay” if the Palestinian militant group did not compose.
The American Envoy with hostages Adam Boehler has the authority to talk directly to Hamas, the White House said when asked about discussions, which corrupted with decades old politics against negotiations with groups that the US brand of terrorist organization.
Boehler and Hamas officials have met in Doha in recent weeks, and two sources have been listed in negotiations. It was not clear who represented Hamas.
At the White House, Trump met a group of hostages who were recently published in accordance with the Gaza fire interruption agreement, and he published a new threat to Hamas in the post of social media.
He asked Hamas “to let all the hostages now, not later”, including the remains of dead hostages, “or it’s over for you.”
“I send Israel everything it takes to finish the job, no Hamas member will be sure if you don’t do as I say,” he wrote. “Also, they expect people from Gaza: A wonderful future is waiting, but not if you keep hostages. If you do, you are dead! Get a smart decision. Release hostages now or will be hell pay later!”
Trump’s warning repeated his threat to “hell to pay” Before returning to the White House on January 20, followed by an agreement on the interruption of fire and hostage in mid -January, for which he requested a loan before the then President Joe Biden left the office.
Once again, Trump did not exactly determine what actions he could do if Hamas failed to follow.
Hamas has yet to comment on Trump’s threats.
Now they have long since avoided engagement with a militant group, which performed a cross -border attack on South Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, which launched a devastating war. The Israeli offensive killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The American State Department appointed Hamas a terrorist organization in 1997.
One of the sources said the effort involved an attempt to publish Edan Alexander from Tenafly, which is believed to be the last alive of the American hostage held by Hamas. He appeared in the video Hamas published in November 2024.
Israeli authorities have declared four other American hostages.
To date, the role of the USA is assured in ensuring a statement agreement and the release of the Gaza hostages has been dealt with by Israel and Qatar and Egyptian mediators, but without any well -known direct communications between Washington and Hamas.
Caroline Leavitt White House secretary told reporters that Boehler “has the authority” for direct conversations with Hamas. She said Israel was advised, but did not indicate whether it was before or after the conversation. She described contacts as part of Trump’s “good effort to do what is right for the American people.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has announced a statement saying: “Israel expressed his position with the United States regarding direct conversations with Hamas.” It didn’t work out. Israel, along with many other countries, considers Hamas a terrorist organization and refuses directly to negotiate with the group.
Taher al-Nono, political advisor Hamas, said to Reuters: “I have no information on meetings with US officials, but any meeting with the US administration is useful for the stability of the region.”
Risks and options with access
The sources said the conversations focused on the publication of American hostages still held in Gaza, but one said that they also included discussions on a wider agreement on the release of all the remaining hostages and how to achieve a long -term truce.
The fights in Gaza have been stopped since January 19, and Hamas exchanged 33 Israeli hostages and five Thai by about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and prisoners. Israeli authorities believe that less than half of the remaining 59 hostages are still living.
Leavitt asked if there were also conversations with Hamas Trump’s controversial proposal to take over Gaza now. Last month, he suggested that Gaza demolished to the war was turned into a Riviera style resort after its inhabitants were moving elsewhere, an idea rejected in the Arab world and convicted of human rights groups.
“These are talks and discussions. I won’t describe them in detail,” she said. “These are American lives.”
Jonathan Panikoff, a former US deputy national intelligence officer in the Middle East, said Trump’s unconventional diplomatic approach carries both risks and opportunities.
“On the one hand, hiring hamas could make it easier to ease the hostages and help to reach a long-term agreement,” Panikoff said, now in the Think-Tank Atlantic Council.
“On the other hand, there is a reason that they are not usually negotiating with terrorist groups now, knowing that Washington will do it to encourage them to repeat their behavior in the future.”
Trump’s envoy in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, plans to return to the region in the coming days to make a way or to expand the first phase of the termination of fire interruption in Gaza or advanced to the second phase, a spokesman for the US State Department said on Monday.
