Trump’s backchannel: The secret deal that freed Edan Alexander

Secret talks between senior Hamas officials and Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American businessman close to the Trump administration, ultimately led to the release of Edan Alexander from captivity in Gaza, according to a report today (Tuesday) on Axios.

According to two senior Israeli officials, a Palestinian official, and a U.S. official cited in the report, in late April, a Hamas official approached Bahbah, former head of “Arab Americans for Trump,” asking him to mediate with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East.

Hamas was looking for a way to persuade President Trump to exert significant pressure on Israel, while Trump’s team was determined to secure the release of the last living American held by the group. Bahbah, who helped Trump gain Arab voter support in the 2024 elections, became the surprising mediator in the deal.

A senior Israeli source said it took time for the secret communication channel to take shape, but it gained significant momentum last week. Over the past two weeks, around 20 messages were exchanged between the parties through calls and texts to Bahbah. According to the report, Bahbah even spoke directly with Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’s negotiation team, but declined to comment on the story.

Steve Witkoff, with assistance from Qatari officials and Bahbah, succeeded in convincing the terror group that releasing Alexander “for free”, meaning without immediate concessions from Israel, would carry significant weight with Trump and could influence his stance moving forward.

Around 10:00 p.m. Doha time on Sunday, Hamas formally agreed to release Alexander. Witkoff called Alexander’s parents to deliver the news they had waited 583 days to hear. “It was a very emotional call from both sides,” Edan’s father, Adi Alexander, told Axios.

According to the report, Israel learned of the secret talks not from the White House but from its own intelligence services. When Minister Ron Dermer was in Washington last Thursday, his American counterparts did not mention the secret channel, and he had to raise the issue himself with Witkoff.

According to sources, Witkoff confirmed to Dermer that talks were taking place but clarified that Israel would not be required to give anything in return for Alexander’s release, and at that point, Hamas had not yet finalized its agreement to the deal.

According to a Palestinian official cited in the report, the Trump administration told Hamas that if Alexander were released, the U.S. would push for a 70- to 90-day ceasefire, longer than previous proposals, in exchange for the release of 10 additional hostages.

A U.S. official told Axios that Qatar’s prime minister was the one who convinced Hamas to close the deal, while the military operation in Gaza also played a “decisive” role in securing the release. He downplayed Bahbah’s role, saying, “He was involved but marginally”, an assessment that contradicts other reports of his centrality to the process.

Axios claimed that negotiations for a final deal would begin during the ceasefire, with the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt ensuring the war does not resume as long as talks continue. America did not confirm these details.

Even though Witkoff and Israeli negotiators are expected to fly to Doha to resume ceasefire talks (and a comprehensive hostage deal), senior Israeli officials quoted in Axios estimate that the chances of a breakthrough are slim, with both sides entrenched in their positions. “We told Witkoff he has four days to secure a deal. After that, we’re going in,” one senior Israeli official said.

Despite the gesture of releasing Alexander, it appears Hamas did not achieve its main goal: “Hamas received no commitments from Trump. They hoped to sway him more to their side, but it seems that didn’t work,” another senior Israeli official said.

Israel Hayom contributed to this article.