U.S. may open direct line with Hamas…"Trump envoy to meet Hamas de facto leader"

Checking implementation of Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement·Negotiations begin in earnest

"Seems unconcerned by criticism that it legitimizes a terrorist organization"

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 14th (local time) that U.S. Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet soon with a senior official of the Palestinian armed group Hamas to discuss implementation of the Gaza Strip ceasefire.

According to anonymous officials familiar with the matter, Envoy Witkoff plans to meet soon with Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's ceasefire negotiation chief. The date of the meeting has not yet been set, and plans may change.

Al-Hayya, who led Hamas's ceasefire negotiation delegation, was also the person who planned Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel. This meeting may be intended to accelerate implementation of the agreement amid deep mistrust between Hamas and Israel, which has caused the ceasefire's implementation to stall in many places.

U.S. President Donald Trump, through his proposed Gaza Strip peace plan, seeks to make a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas the first step toward withdrawal, transition of governance, and a permanent end to hostilities. The Trump administration exerts strong influence on Israel but has shown limits in communicating with Hamas, which it contacts indirectly through Arab allies.

The NYT predicted that if the meeting takes place, it would serve to underscore U.S. interest in establishing a communication line with Hamas. It also said it would show that the U.S. does not seem concerned by criticism that direct communication between Hamas and the U.S. could lend undue legitimacy to Hamas.

Direct contact between the U.S. and Hamas is not the first. In March, Adam Boller, the U.S. hostage response envoy, held direct talks with Hamas to discuss the release of U.S. dual-national hostages held by Hamas. That meeting was the first between the U.S. and Hamas since Hamas was designated a terrorist organization in 1997.

Envoy Witkoff previously met al-Hayya in Egypt last month, just before the Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement was concluded, together with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's eldest son-in-law. In an interview with U.S. CBS last month, Witkoff also said that when he met al-Hayya he mentioned that his own son had died from opioid abuse and offered condolences to al-Hayya, who lost his son in Israel's Qatar airstrike last September.

Ahn Hye-won, Hankyung.com reporter anhw@hankyung.com