The Trump administration is holding a new round of talks with Israeli and Qatari officials in an attempt to restart stalled negotiations over a hostage release agreement, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Over the weekend, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Washington, where he met with US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. According to two sources familiar with the talks, US officials stressed the need to “find a proper path” to resume negotiations.
Despite a recent Israeli airstrike in Doha, Qatar remains committed to its mediation role, the Qatari prime minister said following his return to the Gulf state.
Israeli attack 'a grave precedent'
“The Israeli attack is a grave precedent that must be addressed with strength and determination,” Al Thani said. “We will continue our efforts, alongside the US and Egypt, to bring an end to the war.”
Washington has also held direct conversations with Israeli leaders as part of the renewed push. Rubio, who arrived in Israel on Sunday, is expected to meet with senior government officials to discuss terms for restarting the talks.
A diplomatic source told the Post that the administration may soon present a new initiative aimed at breaking the deadlock in hostage negotiations.
Against the backdrop of these efforts, as well as reports that the US was not informed in advance of Israel’s operation in Qatar, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accompanied Rubio to the Western Wall during the Secretary of State's visit to Jerusalem.
“I believe the secretary of state’s visit is a testament to the resilience and strength of the US–Israel alliance, which is as steadfast as the stones of the Western Wall we just touched,” Netanyahu said.
Before departing for Israel, Rubio acknowledged that the Trump administration had expressed displeasure over the Israeli strike.
“I am going to get a much clearer understanding of their plans going forward,” he said. “What happened, happened. Obviously, we were not pleased by it. The president was not pleased.”
Rubio added that the administration remains focused on securing the release of the hostages still held in Gaza.
“Now we need to move forward and determine the next step. Because at the end of the day, when all is said and done, there is still a group called Hamas, and there are still 48 hostages who deserve to be freed immediately, all of them, together.”