White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended U.S. efforts to negotiate with Hamas to release American hostages during a briefing on Wednesday.
There are currently five hostages with U.S. citizenship in Gaza, though most are feared dead.
During the news conference, Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Leavitt how the plans to negotiate fall in line with the long-standing policy not to negotiate with terrorists.
‘If the U.S. has a long-standing policy that we do not negotiate with terrorists, then why is the U.S. now negotiating directly and for the first time ever with Hamas?’ Doocy asked.
‘Well, when it comes to the negotiations that you’re referring to, first of all, the special envoy who’s engaged in these negotiations does have the authority to talk to anyone,’ Leavitt responded.
She added that Israel was ‘consulted on this matter,’ and that President Donald Trump believes in putting forth ‘good faith effort[s] to do what’s right for the American people.’
‘Is it just about the hostages, or are they also talking about the president’s plan to take over?’ Doocy asked.
‘These are ongoing talks and discussions. I’m not going to detail them here,’ Leavitt said. ‘There are American lives at stake. I would refer you to the Department of State, for further details, but I’m not going to get into those talks here at this point.’
In response to Leavitt’s statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement reading: ‘In talks with the United States, Israel expressed its view on direct talks with Hamas.’
The latest comments come as the next stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears uncertain. The White House has signaled support for the Israeli government’s criticism of Hamas officials, including recently backing the decision to block aid to Gaza until Hamas leaders agree to a ceasefire extension.
In a statement obtained by Fox News on Sunday, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said Israel has ‘negotiated in good faith since the beginning of this administration to ensure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas terrorists.’
‘We will support their decision on next steps given Hamas has indicated it’s no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire,’ Hughes added.
Fox News’ Yonat Friling contributed to this report.