‘Hamas militants are pretty nice guys’: US ‘surprises’ Israel after envoy says Washington working for itself

Senior Israeli officials were surprised to hear US hostage envoy Adam Boehler's remarks, in which he asserted that the United States is not “an agent of Israel,”, The Times of Israel reported, citing an Israeli source.

“We’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel,” Boehler said.

Boehler, in an interview with CNN, defended his direct talks with Hamas officials after the revelation ignited an uneasy conversation between him and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

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“I understand the consternation and the concern. I wasn’t upset,” he said, sharing details about his dialogue with Dermer.

“At the same time, we’re the United States. We’re not an agent of Israel. We have specific interests at play,” he added.

'Helpful meeting'

Boehler said that he was confident a deal could be reached "within weeks" to free all hostages held by the Palestinian militant group.

"I think it was a very helpful meeting. It was very helpful to hear some back and forth," Boehler said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union."

He then said that he understood the concerns expressed by Dermer about his direct talks with Hamas but ensured that the talks emphasised on a clear goal.

"We're the United States. We're not an agent of Israel," Boehler said. "We have specific interests at play, and we did communicate back and forth."

"What I wanted to do is jump start some negotiations that were in a very fragile place. And I wanted to say to Hamas, what is the end game that you want here?"

'Nice guys'

Boehler confirmed in the interview that US President Donald Trump signed off on his talks with Hamas ahead of time.

“I spoke with Ron, and I’m sympathetic. He has someone that he doesn’t know well, making direct contact with Hamas," he said.

"Maybe I would see them and say, ‘Look, they don’t have horns growing out of their head. They’re actually guys like us. They’re pretty nice guys’,” the US envoy added.

Hamas confirms multiple meetings with US

The political adviser to the Hamas chief, Taher Al-Nono, confirmed that multiple meetings occurred between Hamas leaders and US hostage affairs envoy Adam Boehler, according to news agency Reuters.

Nono said that the talks took place in the Qatari capital over the past week and were centred around the release of an American-Israeli dual national, who was held hostage by the Palestinian militant group in war-torn Gaza.

"Several meetings have already taken place in Doha, focusing on releasing one of the dual-nationality prisoners. We have dealt positively and flexibly, in a way that serves the interests of the Palestinian people," Nono said.

The two sides also discussed how to see through the implementation of the phased agreement aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war.

"We informed the American delegation that we don't oppose the release of the prisoner within the framework of these talks," Nono told Reuters.

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters at the White House last week that gaining the release of 21-year-old Edan Alexander from New Jersey, who is believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, is the United States' "top priority".

(With inputs from agencies)