Behind the Scenes of US-Hamas Negotiations

Journalist Tamer Al-Mishal from Al Jazeera revealed the details of direct negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which he said took place over four rounds in the Qatari capital.

Al-Mishal stated that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was the one that initiated the negotiations, requesting the release of Israeli prisoners who hold U.S. citizenship, a request that Hamas firmly rejected.

According to Al-Mishal, the Palestinian resistance told the U.S. side that these prisoners were, in the end, Israeli soldiers, and therefore could not be freed without a price, which led to the suspension of the talks.

Two of the four meetings, as Al-Mishal mentioned, were held with a senior Hamas delegation led by its leader and chief negotiator Dr. Khalil Al-Hayya. The aim of these meetings was to reach a partial deal whereby five Israeli soldiers (one live and four bodies) would be exchanged.

Hamas requested the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners (100 serving life sentences and 150 with high-term sentences), and an agreement was nearly reached, as Al-Mishal states.

U.S. Backpedals on Agreement

Al-Mishal quoted informed sources who confirmed that the U.S. envoy leading the negotiations told Hamas that the U.S. had agreed to this request, but Israel objected to the inclusion of fifty names of those with life sentences in the agreement.

He added that Hamas rejected this Israeli stance and said it would only accept intervention for ten names. The U.S. envoy raced against time to finalize the deal before last Tuesday, when Trump was expected to announce the agreement.

However, leaks emerged before the scheduled announcement, and the U.S. envoy later informed Hamas that President Trump had backtracked on the agreement and insisted on delivering the American prisoners without anything in return, a position Hamas refused, according to Al-Mishal.

It is unclear whether these negotiations will resume, but Al-Mishal notes that there are indications that the U.S. is reluctant to return to war and may prefer to extend the first phase of the agreement by releasing some prisoners, which the Palestinian resistance rejects.

Al-Mishal suggests that Trump may allow Israel to carry out targeted assassinations in the near future but will not accept a return to war as it was before.

Resistance Rejects Israel’s Conditions

Al-Mishal further explained that Hamas waged a successful media war during the conflict, sending numerous signals indicating the existence of living prisoners. In this context, Hamas displayed two prisoners following their fellow’s release and another bidding farewell to his brother, alongside two others, including one whose life was confirmed yesterday.

Hamas uses these signals to pressure Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, pushing the Israelis to escalate in order to advance the agreement, Al-Mishal states. He also points out that the Houthis’ threats to resume targeting Israeli ships in the Red Sea indicate that returning to war won’t be exclusive to Gaza.

Al-Mishal concluded that the Palestinian resistance rejects extending the first phase and remains committed to the previous agreement, which includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Philadelphi Corridor with Egypt and the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip.

He pointed out that no one knows the outcome of the upcoming visit by U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Wietkoff, noting that the resistance insists that Israel will not achieve what it couldn’t through negotiations by using force.

Various political parties are awaiting the potential visit by Wietkoff this week, as it is believed to have direct implications on the fate of the ceasefire agreement, the remaining prisoners, and Gaza’s reconstruction plans.

Wietkoff recently expressed the United States’ desire to “resolve matters with Hamas through dialogue” but warned of “an alternative option that will not be favorable” should the negotiations fail.

The second phase of the negotiations, which was scheduled to begin a week ago, has not progressed as Israel reneged on the agreement and refused to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor.

Israel has demanded an extension of the first phase and continued prisoner exchanges, which contradicts what had been agreed upon. Israel threatened two days ago to return to war in 10 days if Hamas does not accept its conditions.