The White House has directly negotiated with Hamas the release of Israeli hostages, a dramatic change in US policy that has long depended on intermediaries.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Wednesday that there have been discussions between US and Hamas representatives, adding that President Trump is committed to the release of all Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
Two meetings were held in the past few days in Doha, Qatar, where US officials talked about the situation of hostages, especially those with American citizenship, according to Hamas sources. Israel, although privy to the negotiations, has not yet made available additional information on its stance.
“Israel has conveyed to the United States its stance toward direct negotiations with Hamas,” stated a release from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
The talks are connected to the hostages-for-ceasefire deal, which commenced on January 19. The agreement stipulated that Hamas should free hostages in return for Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. But the process hit a snag, and Washington went ahead to approach Hamas directly.
Axios, quoting sources with knowledge of the negotiations, said the talks were “unprecedented,” adding that the US has declared Hamas a terror group since 1997 and has traditionally shunned direct engagement.
Former President Trump has been more confrontational in his approach to hostage negotiations, threatening that not releasing hostages would have dire repercussions. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, was instrumental in getting Netanyahu to agree to the first ceasefire deal. Witkoff, however, called off a trip to Doha this week after witnessing no movement from Hamas.
With five American hostages still thought to be in the hands of Hamas, including 21-year-old Edan Alexander, the direct White House involvement marks a new diplomatic approach in attempts to bring an end to the Gaza war.