The Trump Administration has been engaged in direct talks with the Hamas terrorist organization in an effort to release the American citizens who are still held hostage in Gaza, Axios correspondent Barak Ravid reported Wednesday.
Two anonymous sources told Ravid that the talks held between Hamas and US hostage envoy Adam Boehler constitute the first direct talks between the US government and Hamas in nearly three decades.
The focus of the talks is reportedly the release of five Americans who were abducted during the October 7 massacre. Of these US citizens, only one, Edan Alexander, is believed to still be alive.
The talks are also meant to examine the possibility of a deal to release all of the 59 remaining hostages, both the living and the dead, and a deal that would end the war permanently.
Boehler reportedly met with Hamas officials in Doha, Qatar.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt later confirmed during a press briefing that the US has been holding direct talks with Hamas.
According to Levitt Israel was consulted about the talks and they are ongoing. She noted that President Trump believes "it is the right thing for the American people" and added, "There are American lives on the line."
In February, US President Donald Trump announced a plan under which the US would take over the Gaza Strip and its residents would be relocated to another country while it is rebuilt if they so choose.
Trump and his administration have doubled down on this plan multiple times over the last month.
Yesterday, the White House appeared to dismiss an Egyptian alternative plan to rebuild Gaza without relocating any of the Strip's residents, stressing that while it welcomes the input from Arab nations, Hamas must not be allowed to remain in Gaza under any plan.
Trump has also engaged in strong rhetoric against Hamas, stating that there would be "hell to pay" if all of the hostages are not released and criticizing the terrorist organization's humiliation displays and celebrations it staged at every hostage release during the 42-day ceasefire that expired on Saturday night.
In late February, Trump said that he would support whatever course of action Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decides to take following the release of the Bibas children, Ariel and Kfir, who were brutally murdered by their captors in November of 2023.
Commenting on the Hamas propaganda event before the terrorist group handed over the bodies of the two children, Trump told Fox Radio’s Brian Kilmeade Show, "These were babies. It's rough stuff. It's rough stuff. It looked like they were celebrating as they were bringing the bodies back. The scene is not even believable, it's so barbaric. You'd think this couldn't even happen in the modern age.”
"The scene yesterday was really terrible because you're talking about babies. This is really a low level," he added.
Trump also commented on Netanyahu’s reaction to the tragedy, emphasizing the Prime Minister’s deep frustration. "You know where he stands. He's just so angry, and he should be. If he's not angry, there'd be something wrong with him. He's a very angry man," he said.
On the possibility of Israel resuming military action in the Gaza Strip, Trump said, "I am [okay with Israel resuming the war if they choose]. When you see what's happening here, it's a hard thing to say. You just wonder about the condition of the hostages they have. One group looked so bad, it looked like a concentration camp in Germany. It's a terrible, terrible thing."