White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 5, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has been engaged in secret direct talks with the Hamas terror organization over the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza and the possibility of a final agreement to end the war, the Axios news outlet revealed on Wednesday afternoon.
The talks were conducted by Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler in Doha, Qatar over the past few weeks, Axios reported.
The White House later confirmed the existence of the talks, the first direct contact between the U.S. government and Hamas, which the U.S. designated as a terror organization in 1997. In a press briefing, when asked about the Axios report, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that Boehler “does have the authority to talk to anyone.”
Although the talks run counter to long-standing U.S. policy against direct contact with terrorist organizations, Boehler’s talks are believed to have focused on the American-Israeli hostages in Gaza. In her remarks, Leavitt mentioned that there are “American lives at stake.”
“Dialogue and 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 that he believes,” Leavitt stated.
There is one American-Israeli hostage still believed to be alive, Edan Alexander, an IDF soldier taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. Four other U.S.-Israeli hostages are believed to be dead: Itay Chen, Gad Haggai, Judi Weinstein and Omer Neutra.
In January, a Hamas senior official told The New York Times (NYT) that the terror group was prepared for dialogue with the United States.
“We’re prepared for a dialogue with America and achieving understandings on everything,” Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas political official in Qatar, told the NYT.
Following the breaking of the Axios story, the Prime Minister’s Office released a cryptic statement, saying, “Israel has expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas.”
There are indications that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not happy about the secret talks. An Israeli source familiar with the details told news outlet Israel Hayom that “this is a very problematic move, to say the least.”
However, Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis said the U.S. talks with Hamas are “more than welcome” if they lead to more pressure on Hamas.
“They can talk with Hamas, that’s okay,” Akunis said in an interview with Fox News. “I think that the main thing is that President Trump actually changed the whole idea. Instead of putting Israel under pressure, President Trump is putting Hamas under pressure, and this is the right thing to do.”
“So if it’s a direct negotiation with Hamas and they put them under pressure to release more hostages, [they are] more than welcome,” Akunis added.
While the Israeli government did not clarify its official stance, a source familiar with the discussions told the Jerusalem Post, “The clock is ticking – if there is no agreement on the release of more hostages, Israel will return to fighting.”
