The Palestinian-American political activist Bishara Bahbah was a third mediator between the administration of the American president Donald Trump and the Hamas who managed to convince the terrorist group to release the hostage of the Americans of Israel on Monday, four familiar officials with the affirmed case at the time of Israel
The Times of Israel revealed on Sunday the existence of the backchannel, but did not reveal the identity of Bahbah, because it was not ready to become public at the time.
Bahbah led an organization called American Arabs for Trump, which helped the president to make major breakthroughs with the American Arabs in last year’s elections, in particular by stressing his commitment to end the war in the Gaza Strip. But Bahbah broke with the president during the latter’s February call for the United States to take control of Gaza and erase the band of its Palestinians. Bahbah has changed the name of its organization in American Arabs for peace, but continued to engage with Trump officials and officials of the region’s governments.
Earlier this year, the surviving wife of the former Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat, Suha, gave Bahbah the telephone number of Hamadi Hamas, coming into contact with the senior official based outside Gaza, a familiar source with the case told Israel Times.
Last month, Hamad contacted Bahbah, looking for his help to connect with an American special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to discuss efforts to cause a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
“I was called by someone from Hamas who said he wanted to publish all the Israeli hostages in exchange for a ceasefire in Gaza. They asked me to communicate this message to the American authorities, which I did,” Bahbah told Channel 12 in an interview Tuesday on how the rear channel arrived.
Ghazi Hamad, member of the Hamas political bureau, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Beirut, Lebanon, October 26, 2023. (AP / Bilal Hussein)
“Obviously, if I was in the position of Steve Witkoff, I would have said to myself:” Who devil must he speak to me? ” And I can understand this, “he said.
“Steve suggested that they should release him as a gesture of goodwill … towards the President of the United States, knowing that (Trump) would then use his influence for a cease-fire and allow the help of entering Gaza, which desperately needed by people,” said Bahbah.
Israel has prevented the aid from entering Gaza since the end of March 1, arguing that sufficient humanitarian assistance entered the band during a six-week ceasefire and that Hamas has diverted a large part of this aid. TSAhal officials have recognized in recent weeks, however, that humanitarian aid dries up and that the Gazans are on the brink of famine.
While Bahbah told Hamad that an end of war would begin with Hamas releasing the last American hostage living in Alexander, for weeks, the terrorist organization sought to extract concessions from Israel in exchange for the 21 -year -old TDS soldier.
Special American envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and the sending of American hostages Adam Boehler (left and right center) meet parents of hostages held in Gaza, Tel Aviv, May 13, 2025. (Forum Paulina Patimer / Hotages Families)
Hamad later spoke to one of his superiors, Khalil al-Hayya, to further transmit the urgency of the problem, according to a source familiar with the issue and another Palestinian official.
Last week, Bahbah spent a message from Witkoff in Hamad, warning that the time was not on the side of Hamas and calling the liberation of Alexander before Trump’s departure for the Middle East on Monday.
During the weekend, Hamas informed Bahbah that he had agreed to release Alexander unconditionally, but wanted Witkoff to know that the measure should not be considered one offer, the sources said. Hamad stressed in Bahbah that Hamas was ready to work with the Trump administration to obtain a permanent ceasefire in Gaza with security provisions to ensure a calm of several years until a final settlement of the conflict was reached, the sources said.
Hamad Hamad told Bahbah on Sunday that Hamas was ready to move forward with the Liberation of Alexander, saying that he had located it after claiming to have lost contact with his captors. Bahbah has in turn told Hamas to inform Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani of the decision. Prime Minister Qatari then called Witkoff to confirm that Alexander’s release was going to move forward.
Alexander was released on Monday evening. On Tuesday, Israel sent a negotiation team to Doha for another series of hostage talks, at the request of the Trump administration.
But the parties are faced with a difficult battle, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who still insists that he will only accept a temporary cease-fire, while Hamas demands a permanent end of war triggered by his attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
