The Trump administration has reportedly been holding secret talks with terrorist group Hamas over the release of hostages and an end to the war in Gaza.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the situation told Axios that presidential envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler has been communicating with the terrorist group.
Behind the scenes: The meetings between Boehler and Hamas officials took place in Doha in recent weeks.
- While the Trump administration consulted with Israel about the possibility of engaging with Hamas, Israel learned about aspects of the talks through other channels, one source said.
- The sources spoke with Axios on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the sensitive meetings.
Zoom in: The talks have focused in part on the release of U.S. hostages, which is within Boehler's remit as hostage envoy.
Hamas is still holding 59 hostages in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) believes 35 of these individuals have been killed.
President Donald Trump’s overall approach to Hamas has been far more aggressive than former President Joe Biden’s. He has threatened on multiple occasions that there would be “hell to pay” if the terrorist group refuses to release the hostages and come to a peaceful solution.
Last month, Trump announced that the United States would be taking over Gaza after the war concludes to oversee a rebuilding effort. He proposed relocating Palestinian civilians living in the region to other countries like Egypt and Jordan. The governments of both countries have rejected the idea, but Jordan indicated it would be willing to accept 2,000 Palestinian children.
Arab leaders proposed a different plan that would allow the 2.1 million Palestinians to remain in Gaza during a summit in Cairo, according to the BBC.
The $53bn (£41bn) Arab plan for rebuilding Gaza once the war ends was presented by Egypt at an emergency Arab League summit on Tuesday.
A statement endorsing the plan stressed "the categorical rejection of any form of displacement of the Palestinian people", describing such an idea as "a gross violation of international law, a crime against humanity and ethnic cleansing".
The plan envisages reconstruction taking place over three phases and taking five years, during which some 1.5 million displaced Gazans would be moved into 200,000 prefabricated housing units and 60,000 repaired homes.
In the first phase, which would last six months and cost $3bn, millions of tonnes of rubble and any unexploded ordnance would be cleared.
The second phase, lasting two years and costing $20bn, would see housing and utilities rebuilt. An airport, two seaports and an industrial zone would be built during the third phase, which would take another two years and cost $30bn.
The Arab plan also proposes that an "administrative committee" made up of independent Palestinian technocrats run post-war Gaza for a transitional period while "working towards empowering the Palestinian Authority to return".
The United States and Israel have rejected this plan while the Palestinian Authority and Hamas supported it.
Israel’s foreign ministry said the plan “fails to address the realities of the situation following” Hamas’ October 7, 2023 surprise attack against the Jewish state. “Now, with President Trump’s idea, there is an opportunity for the Gazans to have free choice based on their free will. This should be encouraged!”
White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes concurred, saying the plan did “not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance.”
He further affirmed that Trump “stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas.”
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