Adam Boehler, the White House Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, said Sunday that a “deal” in which every hostage taken by Palestinian militant group Hamas is freed “could come together in weeks.”
“I think something could come together within weeks,” Boehler said on CNN’s “State of the Union” to anchor Jake Tapper.
“I will say that I believe there is enough there to make a deal between what Hamas wants and what they’ve accepted and what Israel wants, and it’s accepted,” he added. “And … I think there is a deal where they can get all of the prisoners out, not just the Americans.”
Last week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Boehler was working on negotiations with Hamas.
“When it comes to the negotiations … the special envoy who’s engaged in those negotiations does have the authority to talk to anyone,” Leavitt said previously.
“Israel was consulted on this matter. Dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people, is something that the president has proven, what he believes is good-faith effort to do what’s right for the American people.”
In a Gallup poll released last week, 46 percent of respondents said they backed the Israelis over the Palestinians when it comes to the “Middle East situation.”
A similar survey conducted in February 2024 found 51 percent of respondents backed Israel in the conflict — a 5-point drop in support over the last year. That number was the lowest it had been since 2001, per Gallup.
