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Reuters

The United States broke a long-standing diplomatic taboo by holding secret talks with Hamas on securing the release of US hostages held in Gaza, sources told Reuters on Wednesday, while President Donald Trump warned of “hell to pay” should the Palestinian militant group not comply.
US hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler has the authority to talk directly with Hamas, the White House said when asked about the discussions, which broke with a decades-old policy against negotiating with groups that the US brands as terrorist organisations.
Boehler and Hamas officials met in Doha in recent weeks, two sources briefed on the negotiations said. It was not clear who represented Hamas.
At the White House, Trump met a group of hostages who had been released recently under a Gaza ceasefire deal, and he issued a stark new threat against Hamas in a social media post.

He demanded that Hamas “release all of the hostages now, not later”, including the remains of dead hostages, “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,” he said. “Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”
Trump’s warning echoed his “hell to pay” threat before his January 20 return to the White House, which was followed by the ceasefire and hostages deal in mid-January that he claimed credit for before then-President Joe Biden left office.
Once again, Trump did not specify exactly what action he might take if Hamas failed to comply.
The US had long avoided direct engagement with the Islamist group, which carried out a cross-border raid into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a devastating Gaza war that has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. The US State Department designated Hamas a terrorist organisation in 1997.
The Palestinian Mujahideen military group in Gaza condemned Trump’s warning, saying it demonstrated his administration’s intention “to proceed as a partner in the crimes of genocide against our people”. Israel has denied accusations of genocide.

“Trump’s threats today clearly reveal the ugly face of the United States of America and show its lack of seriousness and its renunciation of the agreement it mediated,” the group said.
In a text message to Reuters, Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua said: “The best track to release the remaining Israeli prisoners is by the occupation going into the second phase and compelling it to adhere to the agreement signed under the sponsorship of mediators”.
Fighting in Gaza has been halted since January 19 and Hamas has exchanged 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Israeli authorities believe fewer than half of the remaining 59 hostages were still alive.
The Gaza ceasefire deal calls for remaining hostages to be freed in a second phase, during which final plans would be negotiated for an end to the war.
The first phase of the ceasefire ended on Saturday, and Israel has since imposed a total blockade on all goods entering Gaza, demanding that Hamas release remaining hostages without beginning the negotiations to end the war.
One of the sources said the effort included an attempt to gain the release of Edan Alexander from Tenafly, New Jersey, believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas. He appeared in a video published by Hamas in November 2024.

Four other US hostages have been declared dead by Israeli authorities.
To date, the US role in helping to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement has been dealing with Israel and Qatari and Egyptian mediators, but without any known direct communications between Washington and Hamas.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Boehler “does have the authority” to hold direct talks with Hamas.
She said Israel was consulted but did not indicate whether this was before or after the talks. She described the contacts as part of Trump’s “good faith effort to do what’s right for the American people”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying: “Israel has expressed to the United States its position regarding direct talks with Hamas”. It did not elaborate but Israel, which along with many other countries considers Hamas a terrorist organisation, refuses to negotiate directly with the group.
Taher Al-Nono, Hamas political adviser, said: “I have no information about meetings with American officials, but any meeting with the American administration is beneficial for the stability of the region”.
The sources said the discussions have focused on gaining the release of American hostages still held in Gaza, but one said they also have included talks about a broader deal to release all remaining hostages and how to reach a long-term truce.
Leavitt was asked whether the talks with Hamas also included Trump’s controversial proposal for the US to take over Gaza. He suggested last month that war-ravaged Gaza be transformed into a Riviera-style resort after its inhabitants were resettled elsewhere, an idea rejected in the Arab world and condemned by human rights groups.
“These are ongoing talks and discussions. I’m not going to detail them,” she said. “There are American lives at stake.”
Jonathan Panikoff, a former US deputy national intelligence officer on the Middle East, said Trump’s unconventional diplomatic approach carried both risks and opportunities.
“On one hand, engaging Hamas directly could make it easier to get US hostages out and help reach a long-term agreement,” said Panikoff, now at the Atlantic Council think tank. “On the other, there’s a reason the US doesn’t usually negotiate with terrorist groups, knowing Washington will do so incentivises them to repeat the behaviour in the future.”
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff plans to return to the region in coming days to work out a way either to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal or advance to the second phase, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday.


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Israel-Gaza war

Trump warns Hamas of ‘hell to pay’ as US holds unprecedented talks for Gaza hostages

A Hamas fighter takes up a position ahead of the release of hostages in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, on February 15. Photo: AP

Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

US hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler. File photo: Reuters

Yael Alexander holds a poster of her son, Edan, believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas. Photo: AP

Hamas fighters take up a position ahead of the handover of bodies wanted by Israel. Photo: AP

Arab states adopt Egyptian alternative to Trump’s ‘Gaza Riviera’

Palestinians spending time on a beach, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City. Photo: Reuters

Leaders at the summit. Photo: Egyptian Presidency via AFP

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi. Photo: Egyptian Presidency via AP

Israeli tanks deployed inside Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Photo: Reuters

A Palestinian flag flutters amid the ruins of buildings in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Israel PM issues threat to Hamas over hostages as Gaza talks at an impasse

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Israel on Monday. Photo: dpa

Palestinians queue to receive food aid from a UNRWA distribution centre at the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Monday. Photo: AFP

A Palestinian family break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan, on the rubble of their house at Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa at the Al Tahrir palace in Cairo, Egypt on Monday ahead of the emergency Arab summit organised by Egypt. Photo: Reuters

Israel blocks aid into Gaza as ceasefire stand-off escalates

Palestinians pray amid the rubble in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday, during the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Photo: Reuters

A demonstrator releases black smoke during a protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday calling for action to release the remaining hostages held captive in Gaza. Photo: AFP

Palestinians break their fast with iftar meals near the rubble of buildings during the first day of Ramadan, on Saturday. Photo: dpa

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US president tells Gazans ‘you are dead’ if remaining hostages are not freed now


US president tells Gazans ‘you are dead’ if remaining hostages are not freed now.


Donald Trump

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War and conflict