A Palestinian source revealed that the U.S. administration has presented Hamas with a new proposal in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, the opening of border crossings, and the resumption of humanitarian aid.
On Thursday, a Palestinian source told Sky News that Washington had offered Hamas the release of 10 detainees alive, in exchange for extending the ceasefire for 60 days, starting negotiations on the second phase, and discussing the fate of “Israeli forces” along the Philadelphi Corridor.
The source confirmed that Hamas is still deliberating its response to the American proposal.
The White House had earlier confirmed that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had engaged in direct talks with Hamas, following reports in Israeli and American media about such discussions.
White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt told reporters that the Trump administration had held discussions with Hamas and that the talks “are ongoing.”
Earlier, Axios reported that the administration of President Donald Trump had been engaged in direct talks with Hamas regarding the release of prisoners held by the occupation who hold U.S. citizenship, and the possibility of reaching a broader agreement to end the aggression.
The website, in a report translated by “Arab21”, quoted two sources familiar with the situation, stating that the talks were conducted by U.S. Presidential Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Adam Boehler. These talks were unprecedented, as the U.S. had never before engaged directly with Hamas in any discussions since it classified the group as a terrorist organization in 1997.
The report noted that Boehler’s meetings with Hamas leaders took place in Doha in recent weeks.
The sources added: “While the Trump administration consulted with Israel on how to handle Hamas, Israel was informed of the details of the talks through other channels, according to one of the sources.”
The sources further said that the talks partly focused on the release of prisoners who hold U.S. citizenship, a matter falling under Boehler’s remit as U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs.
However, the talks also included discussions about a broader agreement to release all remaining prisoners and reach a long-term ceasefire. No agreement has been reached yet.
