Donald Trump's hostage negotiator, Adam Boyler, has hit back at Israeli officials who have criticized him for negotiating directly with Hamas. He said the United States has its own interests and is "not an agent" of Israel.
According to Boyler, the talks are mainly aimed at freeing Americans held in the Gaza Strip. He said Hamas had offered a five- to 10-year ceasefire and that the group was ready to disarm in exchange for all prisoners.
However, this has caused disagreements between Washington and Tel Aviv. In particular, Netanyahu's office issued a brief statement, expressing its dissatisfaction with the negotiations in a clear but mild tone.
“Israel has conveyed to the United States its position on direct negotiations with Hamas,” the statement said.
The Israeli finance minister also weighed in. In an interview with KAN radio, he called Adam Boyler’s direct negotiations with Hamas leaders “an absolute mistake.”
According to Betzalel Smotrich, Boyler acted “on his own initiative” to free Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who holds a US passport, from Gaza. He also criticized the Trump representative for being “naive” and called Hamas’s 5-10-year ceasefire proposal “an absolutely absurd plan.”
However, the Israeli finance minister acknowledged that resuming hostilities in Gaza could threaten the lives of Israeli hostages. At a press conference in the Knesset on Monday, he said that the government was currently trying to free as many hostages as possible through negotiations.
Smotrich has previously stressed that defeating Hamas militarily and freeing the hostages are not mutually exclusive.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was also not left out. He complained to Boyler that he had not been informed about the negotiations.
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