![Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, hand over on Saturday three Israeli hostages Omer Shem-Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of the seventh exchange under the Jan. 19 ceasefire deal in Nuseirat Refugee Camp of the Deir al-Balah, Gaza on February 22, 2025. [Ashraf Amra - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/AA-20250222-37132333-37132331-HAMAS_HANDS_OVER_3_ISRAELI_HOSTAGES_TO_RED_CROSS_IN_NUSEIRAT_REFUGEE_CAMP____.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The Trump administration has held “unprecedented” direct talks with the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, regarding the release of Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip who hold US citizenship, Axios reported on Wednesday. Informed sources were quoted as saying that the US presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, held talks with Hamas officials in Doha in recent weeks.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss these sensitive meetings, explained that the main goal of the talks was the release of the Israelis who hold American citizenship. They added that the talks also included a broader deal that includes the release of all remaining captives in Gaza and agreement on a long-term truce. The news website noted that no agreement was reached during the talks.
Washington is reported to have consulted with Israel about communicating with Hamas, but Tel Aviv learned about the talks through private channels. Axios described the talks as “unprecedented”, because “The US had never before engaged directly with Hamas, which it designated as a terrorist organisation in 1997.”
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It pointed out that: “Fifty-nine hostages are still held by Hamas in Gaza. The Israel Defence Forces have confirmed that 35 of them are dead. Israeli intelligence believes 22 hostages are still alive, and the status of two others is unknown.”
The Jerusalem Post, meanwhile, quoted two informed but also anonymous sources who confirmed that direct talks with Hamas took place in Doha and that Israel was informed of the details. They explained that the message that Washington conveyed to Hamas officials was to show goodwill, move things forward and release the captives — including the Americans — in order to achieve tangible progress.
The first phase of the 42-day ceasefire agreement in Gaza ended at midnight on Sunday. Israel avoided entering the second phase and ending the war. Instead, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to extend the first phase of the agreement, which came into force on 19 January, in order to release the largest possible number of Israeli captives in Gaza, without providing anything in exchange and without meeting Israel’s military and humanitarian commitments as agreed in the ceasefire deal. This approach, said the leader of the opposition Democrats Party in Israel, is because Netanyahu wants the war “to continue forever.”
Hamas has confirmed its commitment to implement the terms of the ceasefire agreement, and demands that Israel be bound by all of its provisions. The movement called on the mediators to begin negotiations for the second phase, which includes an Israeli withdrawal from the Strip and a complete cessation of hostilities.
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