by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump defends his administration’s direct negotiations with Hamas, stating, ‘We are helping Israel in those discussions because we’re talking about Israeli hostages.’ However, Israel opposes these negotiations, according to an official familiar with the matter, according to The Times of Israel (ToI).
Direct negotiations between the US and Hamas have faced challenges after details were leaked on Wednesday, a government official told the ToI. These unprecedented talks aim to secure the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander and the remains of American-Israelis Itay Chen, Omer Neutra, Gadi Haggai, and Judi Weinstein.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed dissatisfaction after Israel was not fully briefed on US-Hamas direct talks, which were first disclosed by an Axios report. The Israeli Prime Minister’s office issued a brief statement reiterating Israel’s stance against direct negotiations with Hamas.
While signing executive orders in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump told reporters, “We’re not doing anything in terms of Hamas. We’re not giving cash.” He emphasized the distinction between payment and negotiation, stating, “You have to negotiate. There’s a difference between negotiating and paying. We want to get these people out.”
“We have 59 left—of which 24 are living. The rest are dead… Those 24 who are living… they said they’re in very bad shape,” Trump disclosed, highlighting the dire conditions of the hostages.
He added, “I put out a statement that’s self-explanatory,” referring to his ultimatum demanding Hamas immediately release the remaining hostages or face severe consequences.
“Somebody’s going to have to get a lot rougher than they’re getting. It’s a shame.” Trump further expressed his urgency to rescue the hostages, saying, “We want to get these people out. If you would have seen the people yesterday… the way they spoke about their captivity, it was unbelievable. It’s terrible.”
Adam Boehler, US President Donald Trump’s hostage envoy, has been conducting negotiations with Hamas in Doha, marking a significant shift from the long-standing US policy of not engaging with Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by Washington and many Western countries.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Tensions between nuclear-armed powers India and Pakistan rapidly escalated Friday with forces from both nations firing across their highly militarized frontier in Kashmir following a deadly attack that killed scores of tourists in the disputed Himalayan region.
A new report warned Thursday that the Netherlands faces an “antisemitism crisis,” with the number of attacks targeting Jews increasing to record levels.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump issued a rare rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin as Moscow killed at least 12 people and injured 90 others in a massive attack on the Ukrainian capital early Thursday.
Femke Halsema has become Amsterdam’s first mayor to formally apologize for her city’s role in the Holocaust.
Democratic campaign contribution platform ActBlue is the target of President Donald’s Trump’s latest memorandum after Congressional committees reported evidence it found that ActBlue was used to circumvent campaign finance laws.
Over 12,000 participants, including Holocaust survivors, released Israeli hostages, bereaved families, and international delegates, marched Thursday from Auschwitz to Birkenau in the 2025 March of the Living. This year’s event—marking 80 years since the liberation of Nazi death camps—was uniquely infused with urgency, as calls to rescue hostages held by Hamas echoed the haunting memories of the Holocaust.
Representatives of Mauritania’s tiny but thriving Christian community have expressed concerns about renewed Islamic extremism in the northwest African nation after Muslim imams organized a protest against the presence of Christians in the southern city of Sélibaby. The April 7 rally, which was approved by local authorities, followed the death of a Christian convert in a motorcycle accident a few days earlier, Christians told Worthy News.