Trump envoys see better chance for hostage release in Gaza

US officials told families of hostages still held in Gaza they see a better chance of a deal for their release after Washington reached an accord with militant group Hamas for an American hostage that largely bypassed the Israeli government.

US Special Envoy Adam Boehler and Steve Witkoff, US special envoy to the Middle East, met families of hostages for almost two hours in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Of the 58 hostages held in Gaza, about 20 are said to be alive. Hamas on Monday released Edan Alexander, the last known living American hostage, ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the region. Trump arrived in Riyadh earlier on Tuesday.

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"I think there’s a better chance now than before," Boehler told reporters in Tel Aviv ahead of meeting the families.

Rising optimism

Boehler, who is tasked with securing the release of US hostages, said Hamas could "pull a deal any day they want" and there was "hope of change" following Alexander's release.

Alexander, 21, also an Israeli citizen and soldier, was among the 251 people Israel says were abducted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war.

They're optimistic, and we've left with some optimism to hear that they have a plan that they hope to implement in the near future," said Udi Goren, the cousin of Tal Haimi who was abducted and later confirmed dead. His body is still being held.

Goren said that Witkoff and Boehler were now travelling to Qatar to take part in further negotiations with Hamas. Israel has announced that it is sending a delegation. Egypt and Qatar have been mediating the talks throughout the war and most of the hostages have been released through diplomatic negotiations. Trump will travel to Qatar this week after Saudi Arabia. He is also set to visit the UAE but not Israel.

The Hostages Families Forum, which represents many families of those held in Gaza, said that during the meeting, Witkoff expressed a preference for a diplomatic resolution and that he believed there was a genuine chance for progress in Doha.

The President "is not going to tolerate anything other than everybody coming home and he will be relentless in that pursuit", Witkoff told the families, according to a video released by the forum.

Hamas has said it would release the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and the release of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

Israel insists that Hamas must disarm and that its military and governing capabilities be dismantled as a condition for peace.

Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in its 2023 attack, according to Israeli officials. Israel's retaliatory campaign has levelled Gaza, killing over 52,000 people, mostly civilians, health officials in Gaza say.

US and Israeli officials have sought to publicly project unity, despite concerns that Washington is pursuing its own Middle East agenda without fully considering Israeli interests.

Speaking in Tel Aviv, Witkoff told reporters that both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani did an "exceptional job" in securing Alexander’s release.