Iran is involved in Israel-Hamas hostage talks, says Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 9th that Iran is participating in negotiations which seek to finalise a ceasefire deal with Hamas and Israel, according to The New Arab and agencies.

At an event in the White House state dining room, Trump informed the media that “Gaza right now is in the midst of a massive negotiation between us and Hamas and Israel, and Iran actually is involved, and we’ll see what’s going to happen with Gaza. We want to get the hostages back.”

A request for further details regarding the nature of Iran’s involvement in the talks was not addressed by the White House. Trump also did not elaborate further on his initial statement. Similarly, a request for comment was extended to Iran’s mission to the UN in New York, but the mission failed to respond swiftly.

A 60-day ceasefire proposal drafted by US Middle-East envoy Steve Witkoff has been accepted by Israel. The proposal stipulates that 28 living and dead Israeli hostages are to be freed by Hamas in the first week.

Israel would then need to release 1,236 living Palestinian prisoners and 180 dead Palestinians. It also includes the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza by the United Nations, Red Crescent, and other institutions, Reuters reported on May 30th.

Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya rectified initial reports that Hamas had rejected the proposal, clarifying that the group submitted potential “changes and improvements” for the proposal, Middle East Eye reported on June 5th.

Hamas official Basem Naim criticised Israel’s response to the deal as one that “fundamentally seeks to entrench the occupation and perpetuate policies of killing and starvation” due to its failure to commit to permanently ending the war. Meanwhile, bilateral talks between Iran and the United States on Tehran’s nuclear programme are ongoing.

Trump stated that the efficacy of diplomacy may become clear soon, as renewed talks this week will illustrate whether a deal is feasible and whether military action can be prevented. A counter-proposal is already being drafted in Tehran after the US draft demanded that Iran suspends its uranium enrichment programme.

The US president revealed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had given Iran a “reasonable offer.” This follows Netanyahu’s threats to undermine diplomacy by ordering direct air strikes on Iran’s critical nuclear infrastructure.

The New Arab and agencies, Maghrebi.org, Reuters, Middle East Eye, Maghrebi.org