Hamas says talks with US focused on release of American hostage in Gaza

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO (Reuters) -Meetings between Hamas leaders and U.S. hostage negotiator Adam Boehler in recent days focused on the release of an American-Israeli dual national being held by the militant group in Gaza, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday.

Taher Al-Nono, political adviser to the leader of the Palestinian group, confirmed the unprecedented, direct talks with Washington in the Qatari capital over the past week.

"Several meetings have already taken place in Doha, focusing on releasing one of the dual-nationality prisoners. We have dealt positively and flexibly, in a way that serves the interests of the Palestinian people," Nono said.

He added that the two sides had also discussed how to see through the implementation of the phased agreement aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war. "We informed the American delegation that we don't oppose the release of the prisoner within the framework of these talks," Nono said.

Boehler told CNN on Sunday that the talks were "very helpful" and, in an interview with Israel's N12 TV channel, he said that the Trump administration was focused on getting all the remaining 59 hostages out and ending the war.

"I think you've got a real chance for some movement and seeing some hostages home in the next few weeks," he said.

Israel and Hamas signaled on Saturday they were preparing for the next phase of ceasefire negotiations, as mediators pushed ahead with talks to extend a 42-day truce that began in January.

A Hamas delegation met in the past two days with Egyptian mediators and reaffirmed its readiness to negotiate the next phase of the ceasefire. Israel also said it was sending negotiators to Doha on Monday for ceasefire talks.

AMERICAN-ISRAELI HOSTAGE

President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House last week that gaining the release of Edan Alexander, the 21-year-old man from New Jersey believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, was a "top priority for us".

Alexander served as a soldier with the Israeli military. Boehler said the aim was that his release, along with bodies of four deceased American-Israeli hostages, would lead to more captives being freed.

The discussions between Boehler and Hamas have broken with a decades-old policy by Washington against negotiating with groups that the U.S. brands as terrorist organisations.

The Islamist militant group carried out a cross-border raid into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a devastating war in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Under the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on January 19, Hamas has so far exchanged 33 Israeli hostages for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees and has also freed five Thai hostages.

On Sunday, Israeli Energy Minister, Eli Cohen, said he had instructed the Israel Electric Corporation not to sell electricity to Gaza, in what he described in a video as a means of pressure on Hamas to free hostages.

The measure would have little immediate impact, as Israel already cut supply to Gaza at the start of the war. It would, however, affect a wastewater treatment plant presently supplied with power, according to the Israeli electricity company.

Underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire, Gaza medics said one Palestinian was killed on Sunday by Israeli fire in Shejaia in Gaza City. The Israeli military said its air force struck several "terrorists" who operated near their forces and attempted to plant a bomb.

(Writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell; Additional reporting by Steve Scheer and Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem;Editing by Helen Popper and Ros Russell)