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March 10, 2025 – U.S. envoy for hostages, Adam Boehler, issued a clarification after his remarks on CNN, where he described Hamas negotiators he met as "good men."

In a post on X, Boehler stated, "I want to be absolutely clear because some have misinterpreted my words. Hamas is a terrorist organization that has killed thousands of innocent people. By definition, they are bad people. As President Donald Trump has said, no Hamas member will be safe if they do not immediately release all hostages."

During his CNN interview, Boehler had said, "The people I met from Hamas are not demons with horns on their heads. They are men like us, very polite individuals." He emphasized that the U.S. is not acting as an agent of Israel but has specific national interests at stake, which led to direct engagement with Hamas to explore solutions for the release of American hostages. He also noted that the meeting with Hamas was productive.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Kan news agency reported that Israel has reached an understanding with the U.S. to coordinate discussions between Washington and Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told ministers that American negotiations with Hamas would be fully coordinated with Israel.

Reacting to Boehler’s remarks, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized him, saying, "This is naivety from someone who started without knowing the end, so he corrected his mistake." Smotrich also told Israeli Radio that Israel would "definitely resume fighting in Gaza soon."

Source: RT + Agencies