Former Shin Bet negotiator Adi Rotem revealed that he held secret, direct telephone conversations with senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad in 2024, establishing an Israeli-approved backchannel that he says helped break a deadlock in negotiations and advance the January 2025 hostage deal.

Speaking in an interview with Channel 12, Rotem said the extraordinary contacts received approval from Israel’s political and security leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the war cabinet and the security cabinet.

Rotem said he proposed contacting Hamad because the two had previously dealt with one another during negotiations surrounding the 2011 release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

He brought the proposal to then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who Rotem said obtained the necessary approvals to establish the channel.

According to Rotem, the idea emerged after Israeli officials became increasingly frustrated with negotiations being conducted through the United States, Egypt and Qatar, which were making little progress.

Rotem was particularly critical of Qatar’s role, accusing Doha of taking positions too closely aligned with Hamas and allowing negotiations to repeatedly go in circles.

The murder of six Israeli hostages by their Hamas captors in August 2024 became the “last straw,” Rotem said, increasing pressure to find an alternative way to move negotiations forward.

Rotem and Hamad subsequently began communicating exclusively by telephone, frequently speaking late at night.

The conversations were difficult and often emotional, with significant portions of the negotiations focused on lists of Palestinian prisoners who could potentially be released in exchange for Israeli hostages.

Rotem said speaking directly with a senior Hamas terrorist did not mean Israel was legitimizing the terror organization, but rather reflected the lengths negotiators were prepared to go to bring the hostages home.

“We negotiate with the terrorist, with the enemy, to get someone out,” Rotem said.

Following each conversation with Hamad, Rotem briefed a small circle of senior Israeli officials, including Bar, on what had been discussed.

Rotem said the secret channel ultimately helped overcome negotiating obstacles and contributed to progress toward the January 2025 agreement that secured the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)