Three rounds of direct talks between Hamas and US officials took place in Doha a few days before the Gaza ceasefire went into effect on January 19, sources briefed on the contacts told The National on Thursday. They said the talks, which were confirmed by the US, involved Adam Boehler, US President Donald Trump’s envoy on hostage affairs, from the American side along with two other officials. On the Hamas side were top officials Khalil Al Hayya, Zaher Jabareen and Bassem Naim, they said.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Hostage deal is Israel’s ‘most urgent mission’: Lapid

Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid said Israel’s primary objective must be to…

UK sanctions Russians linked to ‘sham’ referendums

On Monday, the United Kingdom announced a new raft of sanctions in…

Israel’s foreign minister says opportunity to free Gaza hostages ‘must not be missed’

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said any opportunity to free hostages held…

At least 1,383 civilians killed in Syria violence: Monitor Toll 

At least 1,383 civilians, the vast majority of them Alawites, were killed…