US-Hamas talks on Gaza hostage release collapse: Israeli media

JERUSALEM

Israeli media claimed Sunday that talks between the US administration and the Palestinian group Hamas regarding the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza had failed.

Israeli Channel 12, citing an Israeli source, said the talks about the release of Israeli hostages holding American nationality in Hamas captivity had collapsed, without giving any further details.

The report came hours after the Israeli public broadcaster reported progress in the discussions between US envoy Adam Boehler and Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya.

There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or Washington on the claim.

The US news outlet Axios unveiled on Wednesday that the Donald Trump administration was holding direct talks with Hamas to discuss the release of Israeli hostages holding American citizenship.

Israel plans to send a negotiating delegation to Qatar on Monday for talks aimed at advancing Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

Israeli Channel 12 said the government agreed to participate in the discussions at the request of mediators Qatar and Egypt, with support from the US.

Meanwhile, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to visit the region on Tuesday to push for an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, KAN said.

Israel estimates that 59 hostages are still held in Gaza with at least 22 of them alive. They are expected to be set free in a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, which would require Israel to fully withdraw its forces from Gaza and end the war permanently.

The ceasefire deal has been in place since January, pausing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 48,400 victims, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.