WASHINGTON, March 5. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump’s administration is engaged in secret direct talks with the Palestinian movement Hamas on the release of American hostages and a broader ceasefire deal for the Gaza Strip, the Axios news website reported, citing sources.
According to them, the talks, involving US presidential envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler, took place in the Qatari capital of Doha.
Axios pointed out that "the US had never before engaged directly with Hamas, which it designated a terrorist organization in 1997."
The sources told Axios that "White House envoy Steve Witkoff also planned to travel to Doha this week to meet the prime minister of Qatar about the ceasefire negotiations but canceled the trip on Tuesday night after he saw there was no progress from Hamas' side."
In mid-January, Egypt, Qatar and the US brokered an agreement between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages held in Gaza and declare a ceasefire in the enclave. The truce took effect on January 19. The first phase of the deal ended on March 1. All the living Israeli hostages and the bodies of those deceased that were supposed to be handed over in the first stage were returned to Israel. In exchange, Israel released over 1,500 Palestinian prisoners.
On March 2, Israel suspended humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and closed all checkpoints, citing Hamas’s refusal to accept US Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff’s plan to continue Gaza ceasefire talks.