Biden admin has discussed potentially negotiating unilateral deal with Hamas to free U.S. hostages
NBC News | Comcast ^ | June 10, 2024 | By Monica Alba, Carol E. Lee and Courtney Kube
Posted on 6/10/2024, 9:26:58 AM by
WASHINGTON — Biden administration officials have discussed potentially negotiating a unilateral deal with Hamas to secure the release of five Americans being held hostage in Gaza if current cease-fire talks involving Israel fail, according to two current senior U.S. officials and two former senior U.S. officials.
Such negotiations would not include Israel and would be conducted through Qatari interlocutors, as current talks have been, said the officials, all of whom have been briefed on the discussions.
The officials did not know what the United States might give Hamas in exchange for the release of American hostages. But, the officials said, Hamas could have an incentive to cut a unilateral deal with Washington because doing so would likely further strain relations between the U.S. and Israel and put additional domestic political pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
One of the former officials said the internal discussions have also taken place in the context of whether the possibility of the U.S. cutting a unilateral deal with Hamas might pressure Netanyahu to agree to a version of the current cease-fire proposal.
On Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to the region to discuss the latest attempts to secure a cease-fire deal. A senior administration official told NBC News that the Israeli raid to free the four hostages Saturday will likely make Blinken’s efforts to achieve an agreement and release the remaining hostages even more difficult.
Rescuing the Israeli hostages has only strengthened Netanyahu’s determination to continue pursuing military operations in Gaza, rather than committing to a halt in the fighting, the senior administration official said.
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