From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Israeli envoy welcomes report that US holding direct talks with Hamas to free hostages
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Israel’s Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis welcomes an Axios report — confirmed by The Times of Israel — that the Trump administration has been holding secret, direct talks with Hamas aimed at securing the release of American hostages and bringing about a permanent end to the war in Gaza.
“There is a new attitude from the White House…against Hamas. They can talk with Hamas, that’s okay,” Akunis tells Fox News.
An Israeli source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel that when the prospect of direct talks between the US and Hamas came up during the Biden administration, Israel expressed its opposition and Washington refrained from taking the step. Under Trump, though, Jerusalem feels less in a position to come out against the idea. It also wasn’t fully briefed on Trump envoy Adam Boehler’s talks ahead of time to begin with, the source says.
“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,” Akunis says.
“If the White House wants to talk directly to Hamas and put them under pressure to release more hostages, we will be very happy to see more hostages with our families,” he adds.
“If it’s a direct negotiation with Hamas… more than welcome,” Akunis says.
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