DayofPal– Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s envoy for hostage affairs, has walked back comments he made regarding Hamas leaders, following backlash from Israeli officials.
In an interview with CNN, Boehler had characterized members of the Palestinian resistance movement as “actually pretty nice guys; guys like us,” while also asserting that the United States is “not an agent of Israel.”
His remarks ignited strong opposition from Ron Dermer, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs and a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Dermer reportedly placed an irate call to U.S. officials, condemning the Trump administration’s direct engagement with Hamas in negotiations.
In response to the uproar, Boehler later issued a forceful clarification on X stating: “I want to be CRYSTAL CLEAR as some have misinterpreted. Hamas is a terrorist organization that has murdered thousands of innocent people. They are BY definition bad people. And as @POTUS has said, not a single Hamas member will be safe if Hamas doesn’t release all hostages immediately.” He tagged President Donald Trump along with several pro-Israel U.S. officials in his post.
Boehler has been leading diplomatic efforts in Qatar to negotiate the release of Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American soldier held captive in Gaza, along with the remains of four American settlers killed in Gaza.
Sources indicate that Hamas has signaled willingness to exchange all Israeli prisoners for the total release of Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons.
However, the primary point of contention remains the number of Palestinian prisoners that Israel is prepared to release. Talks remain ongoing, with no final agreement reached.
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