The negotiations focused on freeing Edan Alexander, the only American Israeli hostage still believed to be alive, and the bodies of four other U.S.-Israeli dual citizens who were kidnapped and taken to Gaza in the October 2023 attack, officials told The New York Times.

Hamas said on Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats against Palestinians constituted support for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to back out of the Gaza ceasefire and intensify the siege of Gazans.

Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror organization, said Thursday that threats from U.S. President Donald Trump are encouraging Israel to walk away from a Gaza ceasefire deal. The comments came a day after Trump said "there will be hell to pay" if Hamas does not release the remaining hostages being held in Gaza.

The talks marked a significant departure for the United States, which has generally refused to talk directly with groups Washington has designated as terrorist organizations.

Washington confirmed it had held direct talks with militant group Hamas to free U.S. hostages held in Gaza. Watch Next

President Donald Trump has issued what he calls a “last warning” to Hamas to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza

The plan has come under fire for omitting key answers on issues like governance, the future of Hamas, and funding.

Arab states adopted an Egyptian plan calling for a “technocratic committee” to administer the Gaza Strip under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority as part of a broader two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hamas welcomed on Tuesday Egypt's Gaza re-construction plan and called for providing means for its success, following an emergency summit in Cairo where Arab states adopted the Egyptian proposal. (Reporting by Nidal Al Mughrabi,