White House – President Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that his administration is actively negotiating with Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, to secure the release of remaining hostages. Trump reiterated his earlier warning that there would be “hell to pay” in Gaza if the hostages were not released immediately.
When asked by a reporter from the Oval Office about the implications of his statement, Trump responded, “You’re going to find out.” He emphasized his meeting with recently freed Israeli hostages, stating, “I had the honor of spending a lot of time yesterday with quite a few of the people that we got out, and I can’t believe how badly treated they were.”
Earlier on Thursday, Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy to the Middle East, indicated that the administration might take some actions jointly with the Israelis. Witkoff remarked, “Hamas has an opportunity to act reasonably, to do what’s right, and then to walk out,” in reference to U.S. and Israeli demands for Hamas to have no military or political role in postwar Gaza.
Neither Trump nor the White House provided details on whether military action is among the options being considered. Previous statements from officials have made it clear that U.S. troops will not be deployed to Gaza.
Trump’s decision to initiate direct talks with Hamas regarding hostage release, led by special envoy for hostages Adam Boehler, marks a significant shift from the U.S.’s long-standing policy of not negotiating with terrorists. “We are helping Israel in those discussions, because we’re talking about Israeli hostages. And we’re not doing anything in terms of Hamas. We’re not giving cash,” Trump stated.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Israel has communicated its stance regarding direct talks with Hamas to the United States.
Hamas has claimed that the best approach to securing the release of hostages is through ceasefire negotiations. They asserted that Trump’s aggressive rhetoric was pushing Israel to abandon the multi-phase Gaza ceasefire deal established on January 19, just a day before Trump took office. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri commented, “The language of threats does not intimidate us; it only complicates matters further.”
Trump posted on Truth Social, urging, “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you. … I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job; not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say.” This week, his administration sent $4 billion in weapons to Israel, marking the second occasion in a month where congressional approval for arms transfer was bypassed.
The ongoing U.S.-Hamas negotiations appear to represent a new diplomatic initiative that is separate from the existing discussions between Hamas and Israel, which are mediated by Qatar and the U.S., aimed at securing phase two of the Gaza ceasefire.
Hamas has accused the U.S. and Israel of attempting to withdraw from negotiations following the conclusion of phase one last weekend. Analyst Mirette Mabrouk from the Middle East Institute stated, “Most people are expecting the ceasefire will collapse because they are expecting that Prime Minister Netanyahu is going to start pounding Gaza again. And as soon as that happens, there will be no more hostage releases,” she told VOA.
In addition to the two negotiation paths, Arab nations have put forth a counterproposal to Trump’s suggestion of expelling Palestinians and transforming Gaza into a beach destination. The Arab initiative proposes that Palestinians remain in Gaza while excluding Hamas from governance. While Israel has rejected this plan, Washington views it as a “good-faith first step,” according to Witkoff during a press gathering at the White House on Thursday. “We’re evaluating everything there. So, it’s a little bit early to comment,” he added.
Israel has also halted all aid into Gaza since Sunday, reiterating long-standing accusations that aid is being diverted to Hamas, which international agencies have denied. This has led to a fuel shortage in the territory, further threatening essential services like trash removal.
The conflict in Gaza escalated following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and around 250 hostages being taken. Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has reportedly resulted in over 48,400 Palestinian deaths, with about half being women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
