The Donald Trump administration has been holding secret talks with Palestinian militant group Hamas for the release of US hostages being held in Gaza, reported Reuters quoting sources.
U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler has been directly engaging with Hamas in recent weeks in Doha, the report stated.
The development holds significance as the US has avoided direct discussion with Hamas, which was designated as a foreign terrorist organisation in 1997 by the US State Department.
Such talks counter the long-standing US policy against direct contact with groups that Washington lists as terrorist organisations.
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Talks On Hostage Release And Ceasefire Deal
The talks were focused on gaining the release of American hostages still being held in Gaza, the report stated, adding that it also included discussions about a broader deal to release all remaining hostages and how to reach a long-term truce.
The efforts include an attempt to gain the release of Edan Alexander, of Tenafly, New Jersey, believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas, as per the report.
Previously the role of the US in helping to secure a truce and hostage release deal in the Gaza war has been dealing with Israel and Qatari and Egyptian mediators but without any known direct communications between Washington and Hamas.
As per the report, the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the Hamas. The Israeli embassy in Washington also did not immediately respond to Reuter’s request for comment.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has also plans to return to the region in coming days to chalk out a way to either extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal or advance the second phase, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday.
