Latin Times
The Trump administration has bypassed Israel to meet with Hamas officials to discuss the release of five American hostages and a potential end to the war in Gaza, according to a report.
President Donald Trump’s Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler has reportedly been leading the meetings with Hamas officials over recent weeks, marking the first time America has directly engaged with the militant group, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007, two sources told Axios. Hamas was deemed a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 1997.
Although the Trump administration consulted with Israel before engaging with Hamas, Axios reported its officials were told about the meetings through other channels.
Hamas is currently holding 59 hostages, 35 of whom are believed to be dead while 22 are alive and two remain in unknown condition. In addition to coordinating the American hostages’ release, the U.S. is also allegedly working to free all remaining hostages and negotiating a long-term truce without input from Israeli officials, Axios reported.
Discussions for phase two of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire have yet to begin. Although phase one ended on Saturday, Israel is demanding Hamas agrees to extend it by six weeks and continue releasing half the hostages, which the group will not do because it was not in the initial terms the groups agreed on in January.
As a result, Israel is withholding and blocking all aid, including food, water, medicine and shelter, from entering Gaza, which has a population of more than 2 million Palestinians.
Neither the White House nor the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office responded to requests for a comment, per Axios.
Originally published on Latin Times
