Adam Boehler, an advisor to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on hostages and missing persons, is set to visit Israel in the coming days, Ynet learned on Saturday.
While sources familiar with the visit describe it as private, ynet has learned that Boehler, 45, will hold meetings and consultations regarding a potential hostage deal involving captives held by Hamas in Gaza.
The Defense Ministry has reportedly received a request to arrange a meeting with Boehler, likely to take place on Monday. Both Israeli and U.S. officials have kept the visit under wraps.
Trump, who has already warned Hamas to release hostages before his inauguration on January 20 or face severe consequences, has adopted an aggressive stance on the issue. “There will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East,” he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Boehler, a Jewish-American known for his hardline approach toward Hamas, echoed this sentiment last week, saying, “Anyone holding hostages should think carefully about what could happen to them.”
Boehler served as Trump’s envoy during the Abraham Accords negotiations and was recently appointed “Special Presidential Envoy for American Hostage Affairs” following Trump’s reelection. In a statement announcing Boehler’s appointment, Trump said, “Adam knows that NO ONE is tougher than the United States of America... Adam will work tirelessly to bring our Great American Citizens HOME.”
In the past, Boehler has called for stronger U.S. action in retrieving hostages. In an op-ed for The Hill, he advocated for military operations, including commando raids, to rescue American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. "The Biden administration has reverted to a philosophy of hostage rescues that sees a military operation as a last resort," Boehler wrote. "This approach cedes the upper hand to hostage takers, who feel emboldened to capture Americans with little fear of paying for it with their lives."
He added, "American servicemembers are more than equipped to pull off a rescue. In the wake of the failed mission to rescue Americans held hostage by Iran in 1980, U.S. Special Operations teams were rebuilt to achieve what President Jimmy Carter’s aborted raid could not.
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"Today, U.S. special operators have a strong track record of successfully infiltrating hostile environments to rescue hostages. Those averse to an American military presence inside Gaza must remember that a single, surgical raid is not the same thing as a protracted U.S. military presence."
The emerging deal
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, "Hamas' barrage of propaganda videos is cruel and malicious psychological warfare. I am in constant contact with the families of the hostages, who are enduring a terrible and prolonged nightmare. I have said and will repeat: anyone who harms our hostages will bear full responsibility. We will continue working tirelessly to bring all the hostages home—both the living and the deceased."
According to reports, the emerging deal is expected to unfold in stages, beginning under the Biden administration and continuing into the Trump administration. The first stage would be humanitarian, involving the release of hostages in exchange for a seven-week cease-fire. Such an agreement could also pave the way for a broader deal, potentially ending the war and facilitating normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
An Israeli official likened the negotiations to a pregnancy, saying, "The assumption is that the 'pregnancy' will continue after a humanitarian release. The key is to get both sides committed."
Earlier Saturday, Arab media reported difficulties in the negotiations due to Hamas’ demands to release high-profile prisoners. However, Israeli sources, maintaining strict confidentiality in recent weeks to avoid jeopardizing the talks, dismissed these claims as "untrue."
These developments come amidst a week of cautious optimism regarding a possible deal. On Thursday, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and President Joe Biden’s special envoy, Brett McGurk, met with Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials to discuss the hostage negotiations. Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar also attended the meeting.
On Wednesday, Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani in Doha, following a secret meeting held two weeks earlier in Vienna. Qatar currently serves as the central mediator for the deal, and the outgoing U.S. administration is cooperating fully with the incoming administration in a shared effort to finalize an agreement before Trump’s inauguration.
However, it remains unclear whether Hamas will agree to a limited deal without ending the war entirely. Conflicting reports have emerged: some suggest Hamas is showing flexibility, including a willingness to accept a limited IDF presence in Gaza, while others claim Israel has agreed to a temporary withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor which borders Egypt, though these reports remain unconfirmed.
For now, Israeli officials estimate that a deal could be reached within two weeks.