Trump defends direct US-Hamas talks as Israel seethes, attempts to sabotage them

US President Donald Trump on Thursday defended his administration’s unprecedented direct negotiations with Hamas, saying they were being conducted for the benefit of Israel and in order to secure the release of Israeli hostages.

“We are having discussions with Hamas. We are helping Israel in those discussions because we’re talking about Israeli hostages,” Trump told reporters while signing executive orders in the Oval Office.

“We’re not doing anything in terms of Hamas. We’re not giving cash,” he continued. “You have to negotiate. There’s a difference between negotiating and paying. We want to get these people out.”

Reflecting on his meetings with a group of eight released hostages on Wednesday, Trump said he could not believe their stories about how poorly they were treated in captivity.

According to Channel 13 news, Trump repeatedly asked the former captives whether the Israeli public supports continuing with the hostage deal beyond its first phase. Polling has indicated that the majority does, though backing for the second stage among coalition voters is lower.

Speaking on Thursday, Trump said the hostages urged him to continue with the deal.

“We have 59 left — of which 24 are living [and] they said they’re in very bad shape… [but the released hostages] want to know if we could just continue” with the release of the remaining Israelis still in Gaza, said Trump.

“I put out a statement that’s self-explanatory,” he continued, referring to the ultimatum he issued after his Wednesday meeting with the freed captives, demanding that Hamas immediately release the remaining hostages or face destruction. “Somebody’s going to have to get a lot rougher than they’re getting. It’s a shame.”

Leak on talks meant to derail them

Jerusalem is not happy about the direct US-Hamas talks, however, a government official told The Times of Israel on condition of anonymity. Accordingly, Israel was behind Wednesday’s media leak about the negotiations’ existence, the official said, confirming reporting in the Ynet news site.

While the White House claimed it consulted with Israel on the matter, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only found out about the US talks with Hamas after the fact, the official said.

The US decided not to inform Israel of Trump hostage envoy Adam Boehler’s recent meeting with Hamas beforehand because when Washington did so before a previously planned sit-down it ended up being forced to cancel after Jerusalem expressed strong opposition to the idea, Ynet reported.

Boehler decided to move forward with the meeting, which he largely used to try to secure the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, along with the bodies of American-Israeli hostages Omer Neutra, Itay Chen, Gadi Haggai and Judith Weinstein. The meeting also included discussions on a broader deal between Israel and Hamas to release all remaining hostages and end the war sparked by the terror group’s October 2023 massacre in southern Israel.

When Israel found out about the meeting after the fact, it sought to sabotage the effort by leaking it to the media, Ynet said.

The government official indicated to The Times of Israel that the leak achieved its purpose and that the talks with Hamas had since hit a snag.

Israel’s opposition to the direct US-Hamas talks stemmed from its concern that the US might lose interest in securing a broad hostage-ceasefire deal once all American hostages are released.

Prioritizing Americans

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff tried to address those concerns, insisting Thursday that Washington is determined to release all of the hostages.

Still, he acknowledged that Alexander is a priority for the administration, and he indicated that it wants Hamas to release the 20-year-old IDF soldier as a demonstration of goodwill.

“Edan Alexander is very important to us — as all the hostages are — but Edan Alexander is an American, and he’s injured, so he’s a top priority for us,” Witkoff told reporters during a gaggle outside the White House.

He appeared to confirm that Alexander’s release was a topic of conversation in the direct talks that Boehler held with Hamas, while lamenting that those discussions have not yet paid dividends.

Time for Hamas ‘to be forthright with us’

“Unfortunately, what we learned is that Hamas told us they were going to be thinking about it a certain way… That’s important information for us to have. And so came the tweet from the president,” Witkoff said, referencing Trump’s ultimatum.

“We want to see these hostages come home. We’re not going to sit here and do nothing and tolerate these kinds of inhumane conditions. They’ve lived in a terrible situation. Who keeps dead bodies? Who does that? Who keeps people chained up downstairs? Who murders in front of other hostages? What has happened here is intolerable, and it’s not going to be tolerated by President Trump.”

“We’re prepared to have dialogue. But if the dialogue doesn’t work, then the alternative is not such a good alternative for Hamas,” Witkoff said.

Despite the apparent impasse, Wiktoff said he hoped Hamas would change its tune in the coming days.

“The president has issued a statement about what’s acceptable to him and what’s not. Hopefully, we’ll see some good conduct next week, and I’ll be able to go in there and have discussions,” he said, adding that he plans to visit four unnamed countries in the region next week.

“Adam Boehler is the special envoy in charge of hostages, and he’s had conversations. We feel that Hamas has not been forthright with us, and it’s time for them to be forthright with us,” Witkoff continued. “Edan Alexander would be a very important show. We’ll see how [Hamas is] going to react.”

Beyond releasing Alexander, Witkoff indicated the only way out for Hamas would be for it to free all remaining hostages and to go into exile — something the terror group has shown no indication that it is prepared to do.

Witkoff acknowledged that there is a lot of uncertainty regarding what will happen next after Trump’s ultimatum.

“It’s unclear exactly what’s going to happen. There’s going to be some action taken. It could be jointly with the Israelis,” Witkoff told reporters.

Pressed further on those comments, Witkoff appeared to walk back the suggestion that the US could join Israel in military action against Hamas.

“We’re a guarantor of the process. It’s the Israelis who control Gaza today… and the counterparty is Hamas. Any action principally comes from the Israelis. But you heard the president say yesterday, he’s giving the Israelis anything they need. It’s the Israelis [who will act], but with very, very strong physical and emotional support from the United States,” Witkoff said.

Asked what Trump’s ultimatum meant for phase two of the deal, which was supposed to begin this past Sunday, Witkoff responded, “People define it as an extension of phase one or phase two. For me, I don’t really care what we call it.”

“It’s time for them to gain some political capital and show that they’re capable of doing that.”

“Hamas has an opportunity to act reasonably, to do what’s right, and then to walk out. They’re not going to be a part of a government there,” Witkoff said. “I wouldn’t test President Trump.”

Pressed on whether Trump’s ultimatum has a specific deadline, Witkoff said, “I think there definitely is such a date, but I’m not at liberty to discuss what that is.”

Witkoff also defended the direct talks, saying they are within Boehler’s purview.

“It was the responsibility of the special envoy to actually have a conversation and see if anything can be achieved,” he said. “I commend him for doing that. Adam cares about lives. The hostage families are grateful for it, and so is President Trump.”

Boehler himself commented on the Trump administration’s efforts to secure the release of hostages, saying, “You’ll see some announcements in the coming days.”

“The president will continue to push until all of our Americans, dead or alive, are returned,” Boehler said during an event at the State Department for the families of American hostages.

“You saw what the president said yesterday to Hamas, where he made it abundantly clear that taking US citizens, or any citizens, wrongfully, is not appropriate and it will be answered in the toughest way possible. This president has no qualms about using action when it’s necessary. And we will all back him up in that,” Boehler added.

Hamas issues warning as US backs Gaza aid freeze

Meanwhile, Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida warned Thursday that any Israeli military escalation against the Gaza terror group would most likely lead to the killing of some hostages.

He further added that Israeli threats of war and blockade would not secure the release of hostages, and claimed that the terror group was still committed to abiding by the truce deal with Israel if Jerusalem continued with the framework’s second phrase.

Israel has refused to do so, as the second phase envisions Israel withdrawing fully from Gaza and agreeing to a permanent end to the war in exchange for the remaining living hostages.

While Netanyahu signed on to those terms in January, he has refused to hold negotiations regarding the terms of the second phase, which were supposed to start one month ago.

Instead, he has sought to impose a new framework to extend the ceasefire after the first phase expired on Saturday.

This framework, which he said was actually proposed by Witkoff, envisions the ceasefire being extended for another month and a half, through Ramadan and Passover. The first half of the hostages would be released at the beginning of this period and the last half of the hostages would be released at the end if terms are reached regarding a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas came out against the proposal, leading Israel to announce on Sunday that it would be barring aid from entering Gaza moving forward.

The State Department on Thursday defended the Israeli decision on humanitarian assistance, with spokesperson Tammy Bruce saying, “Aid can only be delivered in a safe framework. So as long as… we can’t guarantee the safety of something moving in, that is going to be stopped.”

“It is not a withholding, but it’s a reflection of the framework of the situation on the ground,” she added.

Under the terms of the deal signed in January, Israel is supposed to allow aid in as long as negotiations regarding phase two of the deal are ongoing.

Rights groups say the withholding of aid or its use as a bargaining chip amounts to a violation of international law.