Washington D.C. – Politico, July 17, 2025
A senior Trump administration official argued Thursday that a deal to release the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas is “closer than it’s ever been.”
Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, special envoy for hostage release Adam Boehler said Israel’s military successes against Iran create a political window that could pave the way for a deal to free the dozens of hostages still being held by the Palestinian militant group. And he stressed his confidence that it will happen.
Yet Boehler also called Hamas “very hardheaded” and identified some challenges of negotiating directly with the militant group.
“They continue to hold out. Israel continues to kick their ass, and yet they still think they have leverage,” Boehler said. The special envoy also said that were a deal to fall through, it would be because of that hard headedness.
