US Envoy to Hamas: This Is Your Best Chance for Peace

US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Adam Boehler, urged Hamas on Sunday to accept Israel’s latest proposal and take a decisive step toward ending the conflict.

During an interview with CNN’s State of the Union, Boehler described the current deal, which includes the release of at least ten hostages still alive in exchange for a roadmap to peace, as the most favorable offer Hamas is likely to receive.

“We need to get the other hostages out,” Boehler said. “There’s a firm pathway to negotiate peace. That’s the best they’re going to get. They should take the offer. They haven’t in the past.”

He cautioned that Hamas continues to lose leverage with each rejection. “Every single time they don’t take it, it goes down and goes down. So my recommendation to Hamas would be, take the deal that Israel, that the United States is offering you. Let’s get some people home. And let’s move to end this conflict.”

Despite the challenges, Boehler expressed measured optimism, suggesting that Israel’s recent military operation in Iran had created a “new sense of ability to get something done.”

“The Israelis want something done,” he said. “I will tell you, because I have been with them, Hamas is very hardheaded. They have been offered many things that they should take, and it’s time for Hamas to release the hostages.”

Boehler added, “I’m more optimistic than I was because all of those factors are there. We have got an A team negotiating it. Now what I really want to see is Hamas take action. And if they don’t, I will tell you something, Israel’s going to have to take some kinetic action.”

His remarks coincided with growing expectations among Israeli officials that Hamas will respond positively to new proposals regarding the IDF’s positioning in Gaza as part of a broader deal.

A source close to the negotiations told Kan News on Sunday, “we can reach the long-awaited breakthrough for a deal within a few days.”

Israel’s updated military plans reportedly include significant concessions, including adjustments to the Morag Corridor and modifications to troop deployments within the Gaza Strip.

A senior military official shared optimism, saying, “I hope that this week we’ll have a deal. The IDF recommends to the political echelon to reach a deal, there is a great desire on both sides.”

On Friday night, US President Donald Trump also weighed in, announcing that ten additional hostages are expected to be released soon, though he offered no precise timeline.

Speaking at a White House dinner with lawmakers, Trump applauded the work of his special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“We got most of the hostages back. We’re going to have another 10 coming very shortly, and we hope to have that finished quickly,” Trump said.

Boehler had also recently addressed the Aspen Security Forum, where he offered another cautiously hopeful outlook on the progress of hostage negotiations.