There is concern in Israel that the US may close a deal for the release of one or two hostages and, in return, pressure Israel on humanitarian issues, two Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post.
Israel insists that as part of any ceasefire deal lasting several weeks and allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, at least ten hostages must be released.
Israeli officials told the Post that there is currently no indication that Hamas is backing down from its demand for a complete end to the war. Nevertheless, behind the scenes, the US envoy Steve Witkoff is engaging in dialogue with Qatar and Egypt, the key mediators in the negotiations, according to a source familiar with the details.
The source added that both mediators are applying intense pressure on Hamas.
Israeli officials estimate that Hamas may try to initiate some progress on a hostage deal to prevent Israel from launching the large-scale ground maneuver it is planning in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a closed meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday that he “does not rule out the possibility” that Hamas may release Israeli-American citizen Edan Alexander, who is currently being held hostage by the group.
A senior Hamas official told Qatar’s Al Jazeera network that “direct and advanced negotiations have been taking place between Hamas and the US in recent days regarding a ceasefire in Gaza.” The negotiations are also exploring the possibility of allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza and ending the war.
This follows earlier reports from March that US President Donald Trump’s hostage envoy, Adam Boehler, said that US meetings with Hamas on the release of hostages were very helpful.
Previous contact between US officials, Hamas
The meetings in March between Boehler and Hamas largely focused on the release of an American-Israeli dual national held by Hamas in Gaza.
Additional reports surfaced in early March that Boehler had been removed from involvement in the negotiations for the release of American hostages held by Hamas.
A proposal was put forward by Boehler to hold direct negotiations with Hamas to secure the release of American hostages. Boehler, with the president’s approval, held direct talks with Hamas, as the group has been designated as a terror organization by the US since 1997.
Taher Al-Nono, political adviser to Hamas, confirmed in March the unprecedented, direct talks with Washington, saying that the discussions took place in Qatar.
Earlier in May, The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel is due to restore humanitarian aid to Gaza within weeks, whether it reaches a new hostage and ceasefire deal with Hamas or not.
In early March, a variety of top governmental figures had said that Israel would permanently block the flow of new humanitarian aid to Gaza unless Hamas agreed to additional hostage exchanges.
However, Israel is now concerned that the extra food aid Gaza received prior to early March – which it has been using for sustenance since – will run out within weeks.
This is a developing story.
Yonah Jeremy Bob and Amichai Stein contributed to this report.
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