Reports on Thursday alleged that Adam Boehler, Trump's envoy for American hostages and missing persons, has been removed from involvement in the negotiations for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
But the question is: Was he even involved in them to begin with?
Let's start with the negotiations for the hostages' release that are taking place in Cairo, Egypt. These talks are led by one person alone: Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy to the Middle East.
Witkoff, in turn, communicates with Israeli Minister Ron Dermer, who is in charge of the negotiations on the Israeli side, as well as with senior Qatari and Egyptian officials. In fact, apart from Witkoff, no other senior figure is involved in the negotiations for the release of the hostages.
In recent weeks, a proposal was put forward by Adam Boehler, Trump's special envoy for US hostages and missing persons, to hold direct negotiations with Hamas to secure the release of American hostages, including soldier Edan Alexander.
Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the US since 1997, and as such, no official US government representative is allowed to hold direct talks with it—except for one person: the special envoy for hostages.
Therefore, Boehler, with the president’s approval, held direct negotiations with Hamas.
Following the publication of this news by Barak Ravid on Axios, which brought the secret talks to light, a large storm broke out.
Boehler's interviews
Senior Israeli officials, including Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, held heated conversations with senior US officials, despite being aware that such talks were taking place between the US and Hamas. Boheler gave interviews to several media outlets, including the Jerusalem Post, to explain the decision.
However, after the interviews, an even bigger storm erupted due to Boehler's comments regarding Hamas, a murderous terrorist organisation.
"It’s hard to understand the other side without sitting across from them," he said in an interview with the Post.
The day after, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that "the talks bore no fruit" and that they were a one-time event.
With this in mind, and at least for now, that no direct talks will be held with Hamas, Boehler is returning to his original role: working to secure the release of Americans around the world, but currently, he is not involved in the negotiations for the release of hostages held by Hamas.
