Negotiations Possible for US Hostages Deal, NBC News Reports

Biden administration officials are exploring the option of negotiating with Hamas to secure the release of five American hostages should current cease-fire discussions with Israel fail, as per NBC News.

The hostages have been held in Gaza since their abduction by Hamas terrorists during an invasion of Israel on Oct 7.

The administration is also aiming to retrieve the remains of three other U.S. citizens who are believed to have been killed on the day Hamas attacked and killed nearly 1,200 Israelis.

According to two current senior U.S. officials and two former senior U.S. officials as reported by NBC News, any unilateral negotiations would potentially involve Qatari intermediaries and exclude Israel.

In such a scenario, Hamas might engage in discussions with the Biden administration to apply additional political pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose decisions have caused frustration for President Joe Biden and other U.S. officials.

The parents of one of the U.S. hostages, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, expressed their support for such talks in a statement.

“We have seen reports about the U.S. administration considering direct negotiations with Hamas to free U.S. citizens held captive in Gaza,” Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin mentioned, per NBC News.

“We welcome any negotiations that would result in the safe return of our family members who have been in captivity for over eight months. We hope that all families with hostages will soon be reunited with their loved ones.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a Middle East peace mission, pointed the blame at Hamas for stalling a cease-fire in Gaza and delivering President Joe Biden’s latest proposed plan to end the Gaza war.

Blinken stated after meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo that Hamas has yet to agree to Biden’s proposal, which received Israel’s approval before the announcement on May 31.

According to Washington, the proposal includes staged cease-fires leading to a permanent resolution to the conflict. However, Israel is only willing to agree to temporary halts until Hamas is defeated, while Hamas insists on guarantees for an end to the war before agreeing to a truce.

Israeli forces conducted a raid on Saturday, rescuing four hostages held by Hamas in an operation that resulted in the deaths of more than 200 individuals, as reported by Palestinian officials, making it one of the deadliest Israeli actions in the 8-month-old war.

Reuters contributed to this story.

Charlie McCarthy ✉ Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.