Israel sending negotiators to Doha for hostage talks, after US-Israeli captive freed

Israel will send a delegation to Doha, Qatar on Tuesday to negotiate a hostage release and ceasefire deal to enable the release of the remaining Gaza captives, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Monday.

The statement by the Prime Minister Office’s came shortly before the Hamas terror group released American-Israeli hostage soldier Edan Alexander, and US President Donald Trump embarked on his planned visit to the region.

Trump said Alexander’s release — which Hamas presented as a goodwill gesture to the United States, via indirect talks that have excluded Israel — was part of a larger effort to end the war and return all hostages, as officials spoke of a “window of opportunity” for a larger deal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed, however, that negotiations would be conducted “under fire” and that the military’s planned offensive to achieve control of the entire Gaza Strip would still go ahead if the terror group did not release more captives first.

Netanyahu’s office announced the delegation after the prime minister spoke with Trump, and following a meeting with US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee.

The three men discussed “the recent effort to implement the hostage release framework presented by Witkoff,” ahead of the IDF’s potential expanded ground campaign in Gaza, Netanyahu’s office said, referring to another temporary truce in exchange for the release of more hostages.

Netanyahu clarified that “the negotiations will take place only under fire,” with the military campaign against Hamas ongoing, his office added.

Channel 12 news reported Monday night that, in an earlier conference call, Netanyahu and his coalition partners green-lighted the resumption of talks, but reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to the “Witkoff framework.”

The framework would see a temporary ceasefire of some 40 days, in exchange for about half of the remaining hostages. Israel remains opposed, however, to any deal that would require serious negotiations on a permanent end to the war, given what is currently off the table, such as Hamas leaving the Strip.

A source who was present for the discussions told the network that though there was pessimism about the prospects of the fresh negotiations, coalition heads authorized Netanyahu to send the delegation, although National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were opposed.

‘Hopefully, the first step to end this brutal conflict’

Trump, speaking shortly before Alexander was freed from Hamas captivity, said that the hostage soldier’s release would be part of a wider effort to return all remaining captives — 58, excluding Alexander, of whom at least 20 are believed to be alive — and end the 19-month war.

“This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration!” he added.

Asked later by a reporter whether Alexander’s release would be a step toward a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Trump said, “We hope that we’re going to have other hostages released.”

Separately, when answering a question about the Qatari ruling family offering to gift him a Boeing 747, the US president said he has “a lot of respect for the leadership” and “a lot of respect for the leader” of the Gulf state.

US Ambassador Huckabee wrote, in a post on X on Monday, that he was “relieved” to see Alexander freed, and echoed Trump’s comments about the state of the war.

“As [President Trump] said, we hope that this long-overdue release marks the beginning of the end to this terrible war. Hamas alone is responsible for the continued death and suffering. We demand the immediate release of all remaining hostages,” he wrote.

Trump’s special envoy on hostages, Adam Boehler, traveled to Israel on Monday with Edan Alexander’s mother, and said from the plane that the hostage soldier’s release is just “the start” and that he will not rest until all captives are returned home.

“[US] President [Donald] Trump, when he told me to go get back every hostage, every Israeli, he wasn’t kidding,” Boehler said.

Earlier, Boehler said news of Alexander’s release was a positive step forward. “We would also ask that Hamas release the bodies of four other Americans that were taken,” he then added.

American-Israelis Itay Chen, Gadi Haggai, Judih Weinstein Haggai, and Omer Neutra were among the approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, killed by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023, during the cross-border onslaught that started the ongoing war. Their bodies were taken to Gaza, along with 247 other hostages living and dead.

‘Dramatic window of opportunity’ for a deal

Trump is slated to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates on his Middle East tour this week. He suggested Monday that he might also go to Turkey, but is not planning to stop in Israel.

An Israeli official told Channel 12 news that Trump’s arrival in the region, together with Alexander’s release, created a “dramatic window of opportunity” to advance a hostage deal, based on the so-called Witkoff framework.

The unnamed official said Israel is ready to send a negotiating team, “if and when we determine that conditions are ripe,” adding that “we hope Hamas seizes what may be its last chance to reach an agreement.”

Meanwhile, CNN quoted a source familiar with the indirect talks between the US and Hamas as saying that Alexander’s release would immediately lead into talks for a wider arrangement, aimed at ending the war.

“We’re going to go into immediate peace deal negotiations,” the source said.

The Kan public broadcaster reported that during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Riyadh will try to get his backing for a regional package deal that includes forming a demilitarized Palestinian state, ending the war in Gaza, while dismantling Hamas, and normalizing ties between Israel and Arab countries.

The outlet cited an unnamed official in the Saudi royal family as saying there is much optimism in Riyadh that Trump will be persuaded to support such a deal.

The official was cited as saying that some details can yet be changed, but a Palestinian state and stopping the war are non-negotiable components.

Israel must not miss the opportunity, the Saudi official contended.

Trump also said Monday that he was considering flying to Turkey — not currently on the agenda — to join talks between Russia and Ukraine, aimed at ending the war that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

He also told reporters the White House may ease sanctions on Syria, following a query toward that end from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Syria has struggled to implement conditions set out by Washington for relief from US sanctions, which keep the country cut off from the global financial system and make economic recovery extremely challenging, after 14 years of grinding war.

Stav Levaton and Jessica Steinberg contributed to this report.