US confirms direct talks with Hamas; Trump gives 'final chance' to leave Gaza
World
"Not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say," he wrote on Truth Social
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Wednesday confirmed unprecedented direct talks with Hamas on hostages, as Israel threatened to renew its military campaign in Gaza despite a fragile ceasefire.
The White House said that President Donald Trump's envoy on hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, held the talks, which focused on Americans among the remaining hostages in Gaza.
"Israel was consulted on this matter," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
"Look, dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what's in the best interest of the American people is something that the President" believes is right, she said.
The United States had refused direct contact with the Palestinian group since banning them as a terrorist organisation in 1997. But Leavitt said that the hostage envoy in his role "has the authority to talk to anyone".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed Israel was consulted and said in a statement that it "expressed its opinion" on direct talks.
The talks were first reported by Axios, which said Boehler met with Hamas in Qatar about the US hostages but also as part of a longer-term truce.
Five Americans are believed to remain among the hostages seized in the massive Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Four of them have been confirmed dead and the other, Edan Alexander, is believed to be alive.
"LAST WARNING"
Trump warned on Wednesday that Hamas leaders had a final chance to leave Gaza, ramping up pressure for the group to release hostages.
"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 wrote on Truth Social.
"This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance."
He also addressed those in Gaza, saying they would face death if they held hostages.
"Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!" he wrote, adding there would be "hell to pay" if the hostages were not released.
WARNING BY ISRAEL
The first phase of a ceasefire ended over the weekend after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second phase, which should lead to a permanent end to the war.
But Israel announced at the end of the first phase that it was halting all entry of goods and supplies into Gaza, which has been reduced to rubble after the relentless year and a half of Israeli operations.
"Hamas has indeed suffered a severe blow, but it has not yet been defeated. The mission is not yet accomplished," Israel's new military chief Eyal Zamir warned.
His remarks echoed warnings by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of "consequences that you cannot imagine" if Hamas does not hand over hostages.
Of the 251 captives taken during Hamas's attack, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.
France, Britain and Germany jointly on Wednesday called the humanitarian situation in Gaza "catastrophic," and urged Israel to ensure the "unhindered" delivery of aid.
South Africa said Israel's restriction of aid into Gaza since the weekend amounted to using starvation as a weapon of war.
The Hamas assault resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, most of them civilians, while Israel's military retaliation in Gaza has killed at least 48,440 people, also mostly civilians, data from both sides show.
DOUBTS ON ARAB PLAN
Trump has promised sweeping support to Israel and has floated a proposal to take over the Gaza Strip and displace its people, an idea that has drawn wide condemnation around the world.
Arab leaders have sought support for an alternative plan they put forward that would finance Gaza's reconstruction through a trust fund.
A draft of the plan seen by AFP outlined a five-year roadmap with a price tag of US$53 billion - roughly the amount the United Nations estimated for Gaza's reconstruction - but the figure was not included in the summit's final statement.
The summit also called for representation to be unified under the Palestine Liberation Organization umbrella group that is the dominant political force within the Palestinian Authority - a move that could sideline Islamist Hamas, which is not a member.
But the prospect of the Palestinian Authority governing Gaza remains far from certain, with Israel having ruled out any future role for the body in the territory ruled by Hamas since 2007.
Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the new plan was "far more realistic than what the Trump administration is proposing in terms of being able to be operationalised".
But Ghassan Khatib, a Palestinian political analyst and former PA minister, was sceptical whether it could realistically happen, noting the lack of details on financing and the political hurdles it would face.
"The only two players in Gaza, the only two parties who have influence in Gaza are Israel and Hamas, and ... their positions are not coherent with this plan," he said.
"It doesn't make sense to expect Israel to drop the plan of Trump and to adopt the plan of the Arabs. There's no chance."
