Hebrew-language media claims Hamas channel deep inside Trump advisers.
The Hebrew-language news outlet Walla News reported that the first steps in forming the secret negotiation channel began when a Hamas leader abroad contacted Bashara Bahbah, a political activist who supports Trump.
Two senior Israeli and Palestinian officials, as well as a senior American official, told Walla News that the secret channel was formed when the Hamas leader was able to contact Bashara Bahbah, a political activist and leader of the Arab-American movement supporting Trump.
According to the Hebrew-language outlet, Hamas was looking for a way to convince US President Donald Trump to put more pressure on Israel, and Trump’s team was determined to release the last living American prisoner held by Hamas in Gaza. This is where Bahbah, a Palestinian-American financier who helped Trump win the 2024 elections by attracting Arab votes and helping him win Michigan, stepped in.
He was not the only mediator.
In mid-April, a Hamas leader outside Gaza contacted Bahbah to set up a secret communication channel with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Whittaker.
It took some time for the secret communication channel to be established, but the talks gained momentum last week, a senior Israeli official said, adding that the two sides had exchanged 20 messages between each other through conversations and messages mediated by Bahbah over the past two weeks.
A source familiar with the matter said that Bahbah also spoke with Hamas’s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayyah, but Bahbah declined to comment on the matter to Israeli media.
In the end, with the help of Qatari officials and with the help of Bahbah, Witkoff managed to convince Hamas to release Aidan Alexander free of charge, assuring them that this would be greatly appreciated by Trump.
However, it has been emphasized that Witkoff himself did not have direct talks with Hamas within the framework of these secret negotiations that had been taking place for the past two weeks.
Hamas also officially agreed to the release of Aidan Alexander at 10 p.m. Doha time on Sunday, and Witkoff then contacted Alexander’s parents to inform them of the news.
Two senior Israeli officials also told Walla News that Israel did not learn about the secret negotiations regarding the release of Aidan Alexander through the United States, but rather through intelligence services.
The information came to Israel when Ron Dermer, a cabinet minister and right-hand man to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, traveled to Washington last Thursday, but his American colleagues made no mention of the secret communication channel, the senior Israeli official said. Dermer was forced to raise the issue with his American hosts and then with Witkoff, asking if there had been a mistake.
Witkoff told Dermer that negotiations were underway with Hamas regarding the release of Aidan Alexander, but he also explained that Israel would not be forced to offer anything in return, although Hamas had not yet said yes.