US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler on Sunday called on the Hamas terror group to accept the current proposal on the table and move towards peace.
Speaking to CNN's “State of the Union,” Boehler emphasized that the deal - which includes the release of at least ten living hostages still held by Hamas in exchange for a pathway toward peace - represents the best offer the terror group is likely to receive.
“We need to get the other hostages out,” Boehler said. “There’s a firm pathway to negotiate peace. That’s the best they’re going to get. They should take the offer. They haven’t in the past.”
He warned that with each rejection, Hamas is left with fewer options: “Every single time they don’t take it, it goes down and goes down. So my recommendation to Hamas would be, take the deal that Israel, that the United States is offering you. Let’s get some people home. And let’s move to end this conflict.”
Despite the difficulties, Boehler expressed cautious optimism regarding the prospects for an agreement, citing Israel’s recent military action in Iran as having generated a “new sense of ability to get something done.”
“The Israelis want something done,” he said. “I will tell you, because I have been with them, Hamas is very hardheaded. They have been offered many things that they should take, and it’s time for Hamas to release the hostages.”
Boehler further noted, “I’m more optimistic than I was because all of those factors are there. We have got an A team negotiating it. Now what I really want to see is Hamas take action. And if they don’t, I will tell you something, Israel’s going to have to take some kinetic action.”
His comments came as Israeli officials estimated that Hamas will return a positive answer to the new proposed IDF troop deployment in the Gaza Strip in return for a hostage deal.
A source involved in the talks told Kan News on Sunday that "we can reach the long-awaited breakthrough for a deal within a few days."
The new deployment maps that Israel presented to Hamas include significant flexibility for Israel. Among the issues that Israel agreed to concede on are the redrawing of the Morag Corridor and a change to the troop deployment in Gaza.
A senior military official stated, "I hope that this week we'll have a deal. The IDF recommends to the political echelon to reach a deal, there is a great desire on both sides."
US President Donald Trump on Friday night announced that an additional release of ten hostages from Gaza is expected soon, though he did not provide specific timelines.
He made the remarks during a dinner with lawmakers at the White House, where he praised the efforts of his special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
"We got most of the hostages back. We're going to have another 10 coming very shortly, and we hope to have that finished quickly," Trump said.
Last week, Boehler spoke at the Aspen Security Forum, where he offered a cautiously optimistic assessment of ongoing efforts to secure a hostage deal in Gaza.