America Stumbles and Recovers in Hostage Talks
And Hamas sits tight. Waiting for the U.S. and Israel to blink.
It was a quiet weekend in Israel.
But we are braced.
On Friday evening, we learned that Hamas had outdone itself, yet again, with respect to its boundless talent and capacity for cynical sadism.
President Trump’s Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, flew to Doha for meetings on Wednesday and Thursday regarding the re-started, sputtering hostage talks. He had been told that they were progressing and there was reason for optimism.
Witkoff arrived with a revised “bridging” proposal that would extend the first “phase” of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas (that expired more than two weeks ago) and include additional hostage releases. The U.S. position was uncompromising. No fewer than ten living hostages, minimum, must be released. (It has since gone up to eleven.)
Hamas waited until Witkoff had departed from Doha before scoffing at his proposal. Instead, the terrorist group said, they would free all remaining dual Israeli-American hostages only. That would mean one living—20-year-old IDF soldier Edan Alexander—and the remains of four who had either been murdered on October 7 or since.
Hamas is saying—fine. We’ll release the Americans. But no one else. It is believed that 22 to 24 of 59 hostages in Gaza are alive. Neither the U.S. nor Israel will accept this “offer”, which Hamas characterized on Saturday as being very generous.
Israeli medical experts have confirmed that many of the hostages still clinging to life may not survive much longer. Seventeen months of torture, starvation, extreme psychological abuse, and horrific living conditions have taken a toll. In addition to the injuries many hostages sustained on October 7, which have been untreated, all manner of health issues have worsened and presented.
The Boehler Factor
But here’s the kicker.
Hamas further stated that the “idea” of releasing all the American hostages had been suggested in recent weeks by Adam Boehler, who presently serves as the United States envoy for hostages. Until this recent fumble, Boehler was expected to be confirmed imminently as the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Boehler withdrew his name from consideration for that position in recent days.
Exactly what happened with Boehler is unclear.
What we do know is that he traveled to Doha in recent weeks and was boastful about having met directly with very senior Hamas officials while there. For American officials, until now, that has been a huge "no-no."
In a blitz of media appearances a week ago—intended to “explain” his conduct and tamp down the criticism—Boehler went further, saying that the Hamas fellows with whom he met were “regular, nice guys.” He used the terms “hostages” and “prisoners” interchangeably when speaking about Hamas terrorists and Israeli civilians. Nomenclature in the Middle East is not a cavalier thing.
Boehler’s loose use of language and disregard for longstanding protocols raised eyebrows and ire, particularly with Ron Dermer, Minister of Strategic Affairs and PM Netanyahu’s closest confidante.
It is no secret that Dermer lost his cool in conversations last week with Boehler. But Boehler dismissed it all as just another day at the office. Dermer’s wrath, he suggested, would pass.
These clumsy efforts at damage control just made things worse. Asked whether he had engaged in talks with the nice guys from Hamas at the direction of the President, Boehler demurred, saying that the “White House” had been aware of what he was doing.
But no one backed him up. In fact, there was a notable silence from Mr. Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Boehler, it seemed, was being hung out to dry. My guess is that he had been granted significant freedom in his role but took things a wee bit too far this time without consulting key colleagues. So, when it backfired, they were nowhere to be found.
Boehler’s move to withdraw his name from consideration as Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs kind of confirms my hunch. He went rogue and was in way over his head.
Israelis reacted to the Boehler sideshow with fury.
At a Knesset Committee meeting this past week, Yotam Cohen—the brother of IDF soldier Nimrod Cohen—was unsparing. The comments he makes in this short clip were articulated much more sharply in the Committee room.
“Why,” Yotam challenged the MKs at Committee, “did my brother, Nimrod, serve? Why do I serve? Why is my sister serving? Our own government does not even value our sacrifice! Why is the possibility of American-Israelis receiving preferential treatment even discussed in the negotiation? At all?!?”
This separation of hostages based on identity, this “selection,” Cohen hissed, is unconscionable. The Israeli government must lead in any negotiations undertaken to free its citizens. And all Israelis must come home together. At once.
This anger articulated by Yotam Cohen is precisely what Hamas hoped to churn in Israeli society by proposing a release of Americans only.
They sought to appease Mr. Witkoff and pit Israelis against one another. Create tension between Israelis and Americans. Stoke division, rage and chaos.
But Steve Witkoff is no fool. He pushed back immediately. His proposed “bridge” plan to extend the ceasefire and provide for the release of at least eleven living hostages, he said, is not up for negotiation.
“If you think you have time,” he warned Hamas on Friday, “you’re making a big mistake.”
Perhaps coincidentally, after having told the Houthis in Yemen for months to cease their violent attacks on commercial shipping lanes and tankers, American warships began pounding Yemen on Saturday night. As President Trump wrote in an online post directed at Yemen. “You are out of time.”
I expect that Hamas leadership is paying careful attention.
❗❗ BREAKING ❗❗
Just as we are finalizing this dispatch for distribution, two important developments arose that merit mention: A Houthi missile landed in the Negev desert overnight. The IDF is working to ascertain whether it was aimed at Israel (likely) or just went off course (possible).
As well, we have just learned that Steve Witkoff will be doing the Sunday talk show rounds in Washington D.C.. The status of the Israeli hostage talks coming up is a certainty. Since Friday, Witkoff has doubled down on his bridge proposal, which would see the immediate release of eleven living hostages as well as the remains of half of those murdered in captivity. The return of the remaining hostages would be revisited at the end of the Passover holiday, in mid-April. The idea, of course, is that they would be freed, but the possibility remains vague, at best.
What Witkoff is signaling, however, in no uncertain terms, is that his deal is the deal that is being discussed. He will not dignify Hamas’ “all American” play with further comment. No more Hamas tricks.
I expect that by the time you read this on Sunday in North America (where many STLV subscribers are located), an additional metaphorical bombshell will have dropped. Wish I could see the future.
I’m working on that…
In the meantime, below is my column that was published in Saturday’s National Post (Canada). I wrote about the hostage-related drama but did not fill in the contours as I have in this supplemental “extra” dispatch, above.
The first few paragraphs of the National Post piece are set out below. To read the full column, please click here.
Vivian Bercovici: Hamas terrorists have no interest in ceasefire
On Friday, Hamas announced that Israeli-American Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old IDF soldier, along with the remains of four other dual American-Israelis, will be released imminently. The terrorist group also rejected the most recent proposal for an extended ceasefire and hostage release presented by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Not a single Israeli national, soldier or civilian, will be released. And this cynical gesture has enraged Israelis as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Witkoff also lashed out at Hamas warning that they were testing the patience of America.
Families are beginning to lose hope and fearing that their loved ones may never be freed.
Each one of the Israeli hostages released from captivity in the most recent “deal” with Hamas has been speaking freely of the unimaginable horrors they suffered.
This contrasts with the reticence of those released or rescued previously. They had feared what Hamas might do to those left behind.
More content will be published in the coming days. I also had a quick Saturday night chat with our regular guest, Ya’akov Katz, who is super-animated this week, about another burning issue. Stay tuned. Coming later today.
In the meantime, thanks for being here.
Vivian Bercovici
