By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2025-03-06 20:00:07 | Updated at 2025-03-06 23:19:14
3 hours ago
America’s secret talks with Hamas are moving along in a “positive” direction after President Trump warned the terror group to release the hostages in Gaza “or there will be hell to pay later” — but the covert negotiations came as a complete shock to Israel.
The conversations, the first of their kind in decades, saw progress on Thursday as the Trump administration focused on a second phase of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire, which calls on all living hostages to be freed, Egyptian sources familiar with the talks said.
Adam Boehler, Trump’s hostage envoy, is allegedly leading the talks with Hamas in Doha, with the most recent chat ending in a “positive spirit,” suggesting phase two of the deal may be around the corner.
The advancement, however, came as a complete shock to Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office caught unaware by the secret conversations.
“We do not know of progress in talks on phase two,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Jerusalem maintains that it was not given any advance notice on America’s decision to directly negotiate with Hamas, with one Israeli official telling the Washington Post that Netanyahu only learned about the development through “other channels.”
A second official told the outlet that if Trump secured the release of US hostages, it could embarrass the Israeli leader.
Netanyahu has indicated that he is not interested in advancing to phase two of the deal, which calls on Israel to withdraw fully from Gaza and lay the groundwork for a permanent end to the war.
He has instead called for an extension of the first phase of the cease-fire deal to continue to release the 59 hostages remaining in Gaza.
Trump has warned that Hamas will face severe punishments if it does not free the hostages, which include New Jersey native Edan Alexander — the only American captive who is still believed to be alive.
“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,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Only sick and twisted people keep bodies, and you are sick and twisted!”
“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,” Trump added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Hamas to take Trump’s threat seriously, telling Fox News that the president’s warning came after meeting with former hostages who shared their stories with him.
“He’s tired of watching these videos every weekend where hostages that are emaciated are released and bodies are turned over, and sometimes it’s the wrong bodies and there’s five here and three there and there’s games that are being played,” Rubio said. “And he’s lost his patience with it.”
Hamas, however, told reporters Thursday that Trump’s threats will not move the negotiations forward, telling the president to focus on “encouraging” Israel to agree to phase two of the cease-fire.
“The best track to release the remaining Israeli [hostages] is by [Israel] going into the second phase and compelling it to adhere to the agreement signed under the sponsorship of mediators,” Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanua told Reuters.
With Post wires
