Israeli minister says US envoy told not to engage with Hamas on Israel’s behalf

By Abdelraouf Arnaout and Rania Abu Shamala

​​​​​​​JERUSALEM (AA) - Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich claimed Monday that Tel Aviv informed the US presidential envoy for hostages held in Gaza, Adam Boehler, not to engage in talks with Hamas on Israel’s behalf.

"He (Boehler) attempted to negotiate the release of American hostages. We made it clear to him that he cannot speak on our behalf, and if he wishes to negotiate on behalf of the United States, then good luck to him,” Smotrich told Israel’s Army Radio.

The Israeli minister did not specify how this message was conveyed to Boehler.

The US envoy, in a series of interviews with Israeli and US television channels on Sunday, said that he was speaking directly with Hamas regarding the return of all Israeli hostages, including those holding American citizenship.

In an interview with the Israeli public broadcaster KAN on Sunday, Boehler said Hamas had proposed a five- to 10-year truce during which it would disarm and withdraw from Gaza’s political scene.

There was no comment from Hamas on the US envoy’s statements.

Israel cut off the electricity supply to Gaza on Sunday, in the latest move to tighten a stifling blockade on the enclave despite a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Last week, Israel stopped humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, prompting warnings from local and human rights groups of a return to widespread hunger for the Palestinian population.

The first six-week phase of the ceasefire deal ended in early March without Israel agreeing to move to the second phase or halt the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to extend the first phase of the prisoner exchange to secure the release of more Israeli captives without fulfilling military or humanitarian obligations outlined in the agreement, appeasing hardliners in his government.

Hamas, however, rejects this approach and insists that Israel abide by the ceasefire terms, urging mediators to push for immediate negotiations on the second phase, which includes a full Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war.

The ceasefire deal has been in place since January, pausing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 48,500 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for 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.