Netanyahu’s office said Israel has conveyed its position to the US on direct talks with Hamas
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Israel has been consulted about the direct engagement with Hamas officials. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP.US officials have had “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas officials, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Confirmation of the talks in the Qatari capital Doha come as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire remains in the balance. It is the first known direct engagement between the US and Hamas since the State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organisation in 1997.‘We’ll rest when we win’: No let-up for Ukraine’s medics and rescue teams as war with Russia grinds on Trump-Starmer summit: British PM produces masterstroke of political theatre as he seeks to cement bromance Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries have served as mediators with Hamas for the US and Israel since the group launched the attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023, that sparked the war. “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 has proven is what he believes is a good faith, effort to do what’s right for the American people,” she said. Ms Leavitt added that Israel has been consulted about the direct engagement with Hamas officials, but noted that there are “American lives at stake”. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel has conveyed its position to the US on direct talks with Hamas, but did not elaborate further. Israeli officials say about 24 living hostages and the bodies of at least 35 others are believed to still be held in Gaza. Adam Boehler, US President Donald Trump’s nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs, participated in the direct talks with Hamas. The discussions, 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. 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.Mr Trump has signalled he has no intentions of pushing Mr Netanyahu away from a return to combat if Hamas does not agree to 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.Israeli security services point finger at Netanyahu as they own up to errors over Hamas’s October 7th incursion Arab League had no choice but to find alternative to Trump’s proposal to resettle 2.3m Gazans in Egypt and JordanFamous Dublin city centre pub hits the market at €4.25m Trump says ‘golden age of America has only just begun’ in speech riddled with exaggerations and inaccuraciesVirgin Media must amend training manuals on financial incentives to agents, High Court orders
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