Donald Trump (Image: Getty)
The White House said on Wednesday that US officials have engaged in “ongoing talks and discussions” with officials, stepping away from a long-held policy held by Washington of not directly engaging in the militant group. Confirmation of the talks in the Qatari capital of Doha come as the -Hamas ceasefire remains in the balance.
It’s the first known direct engagement between the US and Hamas since the State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organisation in 1997. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to provide details on the substance of the talks but said President has authorised his envoys to “talk to anyone.” Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries have served as mediators with Hamas for the US and since the group launched its October 7 attack on in 2023 – which sparked the war in .
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaking on Wednesday (Image: Getty)
“Look, dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people is something that the president … believes is a good-faith effort to do what’s right for the American people,” she said.
Leavitt added that has been consulted about the direct engagement with Hamas officials, and noted that there are “American lives at stake.” Israeli Prime Minister ’s office offered a terse acknowledgement of the US-Hamas talks. It said: “ has expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas”.
Israeli officials say about 24 living hostages — including Edan Alexander, an American citizen — as well as the bodies of at least 35 others are believed to still be held in Gaza.
Adam Boehler, Trump’s nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs, led the direct talks with Hamas. Boehler, founder and CEO of Rubicon Founders, a healthcare investment firm, was a lead negotiator on the Abraham Accords team during Trump’s first term that strove to win broader recognition of in the Arab world.
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The talks, which took place last month, focused mainly on the release of American hostages, and a potential end of the war without Hamas in power in Gaza, according to a Hamas official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The official added that no progress was made but “the step itself is promising” and more talks are expected. Egyptian and Qatari mediators helped arrange the talks.
The direct engagement comes as the continuation of the -Hamas ceasefire remains uncertain. Trump has signalled that he has no intentions of pushing Netanyahu away from a return to combat if Hamas doesn’t agree to the terms of a new ceasefire proposal, which the Israelis have billed as being drafted by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
The new plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages — the militant group’s main bargaining chip — in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners, a key component of the first phase.
The talks between US and Hamas officials were first reported earlier Wednesday by the news site Axios.