JAKARTA - United States officials told the families of hostages who are still being held in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, they saw better opportunities for a deal to release their family members after Washington reached an agreement with the Hamas militant group for the release of American hostages who largely ignored the Israeli government.
US special envoys for hostage affairs Adam Boehler and Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy for the Middle East, met with the hostages' families for nearly two hours in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Of the 58 hostages still detained in Gaza, about 20 people are said to be alive.
"I think there is a better chance now than ever before," Boehler told reporters in Tel Aviv before meeting with the family.
Boehler, who is tasked with securing the release of US hostages, said Hamas could "attract the deal whenever they want" and there was "hope for change" following Edan Alexander's release.
Earlier, the Hamas Group on Monday released Edan Alexander, the last American hostage known to be alive, ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to Arabia.
Alexander, 21, who is also an Israeli citizen and soldier, was among 251 people Israel kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel that sparked an ongoing war.
"They are optimistic, and we are a little optimistic to hear that they have plans they want to implement in the near future," said Udi Goren, the kidnapped cousin of Tal Haimi and later confirmed dead. His body is still being held.
The Hostage Family Forum, which represents many of their families in Gaza, said Boehler and Witkoff said at the meeting they would go to Doha to negotiate war in Gaza.
Israel has announced it will send delegations to Qatar. Egypt and Qatar have been the middle of talks during the war and most of the hostages have been released through diplomatic negotiations.
Family groups said Witkoff expressed his preference for a diplomatic settlement and believed there was a real opportunity for progress in Doha.
Earlier, Israeli government officials this month authorized an expanded military operation in Gaza that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would be "intensive" despite Israel's growing public support for the war, which has lasted for 19 months.
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The president "will not tolerate anything other than everyone coming home and he will be persistent in that endeavor", Witkoff told the family, according to a video released by the forum.
On the other hand, Hamas said it would release the hostages in exchange for ending the war and the release of Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Israel insists Hamas must lay off arms and dismantle the capabilities of its military and government as a condition of peace.
US and Israeli officials have sought to publicly demonstrate unity, although Israel is concerned that Washington is running its own Middle East agenda without considering Israel's interests as a whole.
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