U.S. Envoy Adam Boehler: No Gaza ‘Day After’ Talks Without Full Hostage Release

By; Fern Sidman

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler delivered a clear and uncompromising message on Wednesday: there will be no discussions about Gaza’s post-war future until all hostages held by Hamas are released. In comments to Al Jazeera, reported by The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), Boehler emphasized that President Donald Trump’s directive on the matter is unequivocal: “Nothing goes forward until all hostages are released.”

“Step one is all hostages released. Step two is, let’s figure out this day after,” Boehler stated, reinforcing the administration’s position that humanitarian and political planning for the Gaza Strip is contingent upon Hamas relinquishing its captives.

According to the JNS report, the Biden administration’s more incremental diplomatic stance on the war has now been replaced with a hardline approach by the Trump administration, which insists that Hamas’s ongoing hostage crisis must be resolved before reconstruction efforts or future governance discussions can commence.

While Boehler acknowledged the potential for a comprehensive resolution, he made clear that the path forward is blocked by Hamas’s refusal to release the more than 130 hostages still believed to be in captivity since the October 7 massacre.

“There’s always a possibility for a comprehensive deal,” Boehler said, according to JNS. “I don’t think Israel is interested in staying for the long term.”

President Trump’s plan reportedly includes relocating Gaza civilians who choose to leave to safer areas, followed by a U.S.-supported effort to rebuild infrastructure devastated by Israel’s ongoing military campaign. But Boehler made it clear that none of this will happen until the hostages come home.

“The hostages are what keep things from moving forward,” he explained. “We need them home. You can’t deal with people that hold innocent people as hostages.”

Boehler’s remarks underscored the strategic centrality of the hostages to the conflict’s resolution. He firmly asserted that the moment Hamas agrees to a full release, the fighting would end. “The day that those hostages are released, the fighting will end. Immediately.”

JNS reported that Boehler has urged Hamas to identify terms that both Israel and the United States could accept and to act decisively to bring an end to the war.

He also responded to Hamas’s recent claim that it had lost track of Edan Alexander, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen and one of the hostages. The terror group blamed Israeli airstrikes for the confusion.

“If Edan gets sick, if Edan has a cold, guess who’s getting blamed—Hamas,” Boehler said, as quoted by JNS. “I hope no hair on his head is hurt, or we’re going to come for them, and it’s not going to be pretty. So I believe that Edan is fine.”

On the matter of hostages potentially killed in Israeli airstrikes, Boehler clarified that the root blame lies not with the Israeli military, but with Hamas itself. “I’m not sure I would blame Israeli bombardment for that. I would blame the fact that they’re hostages in the first place.”

As JNS has reported, Boehler’s aggressive diplomacy has occasionally stirred controversy. In mid-March, he was reportedly removed from the official hostage negotiation team after remarks perceived as dismissive of Israeli concerns. At the time, he had referred to Hamas negotiators as “nice guys” and remarked that he didn’t “really care about” Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

His additional statement—“The United States is not an agent of Israel”—triggered backlash and prompted clarification via social media.

“Hamas is a terrorist organization that has murdered thousands of innocent people,” Boehler later wrote. “They are, by definition, bad people.”

Despite the diplomatic hiccup, Boehler remains a central figure in efforts to pressure Hamas into releasing the hostages and paving the way for post-conflict rebuilding in Gaza. His most recent remarks, as reported by JNS, reflect a Trump administration that is committed to ending the war only on its own terms—starting with the unconditional and immediate release of all hostages.

As the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates and international pressure mounts, Boehler’s comments clarify the U.S. stance: until the hostages are free, there will be no political reset, no economic aid package, and no discussion of Gaza’s future. The ball, it seems, is squarely in Hamas’s court.