Israeli-Russian hostage Sasha Trupanov (second proper) and fellow captive, Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen (second left), stand on stage subsequent to Palestinian militants throughout their handover to a Crimson Cross group in Khan Younis, within the southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 15, as a part of the sixth hostage-prisoner trade between Israel and Hamas. Hamas says it has held direct talks with the U.S. about hostages.
Eyad Baba/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
cover caption
toggle caption
Eyad Baba/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
LONDON and TEL AVIV — A Hamas official tells NPR that the USA held direct talks with the Palestinian militant group over the discharge of a number of American-Israeli twin residents taken hostage in the course of the Oct. 7, 2023 assaults in Israel.
The talks, which started as early as January and have continued since, are the primary recognized time the U.S. has engaged straight with Hamas because it designated it a terrorist group in 1997. It has been a long-standing U.S. coverage to not negotiate with teams it designates as terrorists.
The Hamas official didn’t specify if the January talks occurred with officers from the Biden administration or President Trump’s incoming administration. Members from each groups had been current at ceasefire talks in January earlier than Trump took workplace. Axios reported that members of Trump’s administration had engaged in talks with Hamas not too long ago.
“This protects effort and time and minimizes obstacles. Talks should not going very simply, however that is optimistic,” the Hamas official informed NPR. The official was not approved to talk to the media and spoke on situation of anonymity. This identical official mentioned the U.S. had requested Hamas to maintain silent concerning the talks.
Chatting with reporters Wednesday, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that U.S. particular envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler had held talks with Hamas, saying that Boehler “does have the authority to speak to anybody” and that Israel had been consulted on the talks. She mentioned the talks had been ongoing and declined to discuss them intimately, referring additional inquiries to the State Division.
Hamas had initially mentioned it was not keen to debate hostages with U.S. citizenship as a separate matter, however the Hamas official informed NPR that now “nothing is off the desk.” The official mentioned that the U.S. and Hamas are additionally speaking about different points, however didn’t specify what these had been.
There are 59 hostages nonetheless being held in Gaza. Of these, 5 have U.S. citizenship and it is believed just one remains to be alive.
The primary part of a tenuous six-week-old ceasefire deal ended final week however preventing has not resumed.
Israel has stopped the entry of all items and provides into Gaza, citing what it described as Hamas’ refusal to just accept a U.S. proposal to increase the primary part of the ceasefire, and threatened “additional penalties.” In a press release, Hamas accused Israel of making an attempt to evade the framework of the unique ceasefire settlement that each side agreed to in January.
