Israel ‘sabotaging’ direct talks between Trump, Hamas officials: Report
The Cradle, March 7, 2025 ─
Tel Aviv is concerned that it will lose its status as an intermediary in talks regarding arrangements for the future of Gaza.
Israel has been attempting to obstruct recent talks held directly between Hamas officials and representatives of US President Donald Trump’s administration, according to reports in Hebrew media.
Ronen Bergman, analyst for Yedioth Ahronoth, cited US sources as saying that Tel Aviv is trying to “sabotage” negotiations between Washington and Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha.
The report said that US officials traveled to Doha to meet with Hamas officials about releasing Israeli captives with US citizenship separately, and did not inform Israel in advance. Israel is opposed to a separate channel between Hamas and Washington because it fears progress will be made about arrangements for the future of Gaza and post-war affairs in the strip – without it being an intermediary, according to the sources.
“Jerusalem is not happy about the direct US–Hamas talks,” an official source told the Times of Israel. “Israel was behind Wednesday’s media leak about the negotiations’ existence,” the source said, adding that while the White House claimed it coordinated with Israel, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only found out about the US talks with Hamas after the fact.”
According to Ynet, the US did not inform Israel of the talks between Trump official Adam Boehler’s recent meeting with Hamas representatives because when it previously proposed the idea, strong Israeli pressure resulted in the meeting being canceled.
Ynet says the media leak was an Israeli attempt at “sabotage.”
Trump made comments on 6 March defending his administration’s direct talks with the Palestinian resistance movement.
“We are helping Israel in those discussions because we’re talking about Israeli hostages. We’re not doing anything in terms of Hamas. We’re not giving cash. You have to negotiate. There’s a difference between negotiating and paying. We want to get these people out,” the US president said.
Axios released a report on 5 March saying that Hamas and the US government have been holding direct talks in “secret” to negotiate a release of US citizens from captivity and “the possibility of a broader deal to end the war.”
A source told Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom that “Israel is very concerned” about the talks.
On Friday, the Washington Post said Trump has proposed a deal to Hamas for the release of several living Israeli captives, including US-Israeli citizen and soldier Edan Alexander, in exchange for a two-month ceasefire extension and Palestinian prisoners. Hamas has not responded to the proposal.
Israel is obstructing the ceasefire agreement from moving forward by demanding an extension of the first phase in violation of the deal. It seeks to deviate from the exchange protocol by securing the release of as many captives as possible in an extended phase one.
Hamas has rejected any extension, while demanding strict adherence to the agreement and international pressure on Israel.
Tel Aviv has also cut off Gaza’s access to humanitarian aid and is considering cutting off water and electricity to the strip.
The US president has approved massive arms sales to Israel during the ceasefire, while Tel Aviv has been increasingly threatening a return to war and says it will accept nothing less than a full dismantlement of Hamas.